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Houston Rockets Salary Cap Update

With the January 25th deadline to extend rookie contracts having passed, let’s take a look at the Houston Rockets salary cap situation heading towards the March 15th trade deadline.

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With the January 25th deadline to extend rookie contracts having passed, let’s take a look at the Houston Rockets salary cap situation heading towards the March 15th trade deadline.

The Rockets’ Latest Moves
Since my last update, the Rockets have made the following roster moves:

  • There was this whole thing about a trade for Pau Gasol that didn’t end up getting approval from the league office, but I won’t get into that here. Let’s just say that Daryl Morey probably needed a hug after that ordeal.
  • Fan favorite Chuck Hayes signed a four-year, $21.3 million deal with the Sacramento Kings . . . and then it was voided due to a detected heart defect . . . and then, after receiving a (relatively) clean bill of health, Hayes received a four-year, $22.4 million deal from the Kings.
  • The Rockets signed Marcus Morris (the # 14 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft) to his first round rookie scale contract, using the maximum 120% of the rookie scale amount. The deal is for four years, $8.66 million.
  • The team received assurances in writing from Donatas Motiejunas (the # 20 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft) that he would be playing the entire season overseas and would not seek to play in the NBA during the 2011-12 season. A little-known rule change in the new CBA allows first round draft picks playing overseas–who under the prior CBA would count against a team’s salary cap during the offseason–to not count at all against a team’s salary cap so long as written assurance are provided that they will not seek to play in the NBA during the following season. These assurances from Motiejunas added about $1.13 million in additional cap room for the Rockets this past offseason.
  • The team signed Jeff Adrien to a two-year minimum salary contract. The first year is $150,000 guaranteed. The second year is fully unguaranteed, becoming $275,000 guaranteed if Adrien is not waived on or prior to July 14, 2012.
  • The Rockets signed second rounder Chandler Parsons (the # 38 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft) to a four-year deal worth a total of $3.63 million. The deal is structured somewhat like the deal for Chase Budinger, although Parsons’s contract is a little more player-friendly. For instance, unlike in Budinger’s deal, the third and fourth years of Parsons’s deal become mostly guaranteed unless he is waived by January 1 of the prior season and become fully guaranteed unless he is waived by June 30 of the prior season. Essentially, this means that Parsons cannot be “used” as a non-guaranteed salary in trades.
  • Houston Rockets Samuel Dalembert

    The Dalembert signing looks good, but it cost the Rockets their cap exceptions

  • Just before the start of the regular season, the team signed Samuel Dalembert to a two-year, $13.7 million contract. The deal pays Dalembert $7 million this season and approximately $6.7 million in 2012-13; however, the second season is only guaranteed for $1.5 million if Dalembert is waived on or before July 8, 2012 (which will presumably be the first day after the end of the July Moratorium on trades and free agent signings).
  • In order to clear the salary cap room necessary to sign Dalembert to his contract, the Rockets renounced their rights to their Mid-Level Exception, their Biannual Exception, all of their trade exceptions (including the $7.35 million trade exception from the Shane Battier trade last February), and even their rights to unsigned free agents (including Yao Ming). Presumably, the Parsons contract (originally eligible to be signed using a portion of the Mid-Level Exception) was recharacterized as being signed using the Rockets’ cap room.
  • Sometime prior to January 25, 2012, the Rockets exercised the third-year option on Patrick Patterson’s first round rookie scale contract ($2.10 million).
  • On January 25, 2012, the team declined to exercise the fourth-year options on the first round rookie scale contracts of Hasheem Thabeet ($6.47 million), Jonny Flynn ($4.33 million), Jordan Hill ($3.63 million) and Terrence Williams ($3.14 million).
(Salaries courtesy of ShamSports.com)

 

Rockets’ Cap Situation This Year: Capped Out But Looking to Trade
With the signings mentioned above (the Dalembert signing, in particular), the Rockets are essentially “capped out” for this season. They actually have around $777,000 in available cap room, but that isn’t going to do them much good.

However, because the Rockets are well below the luxury tax threshold, it is quite possible that Les Alexander would be willing to take on more salary this season via trade. Due to the more lax salary-matching rules under the new CBA, the Rockets can take back up to 150% of their outgoing salary, plus $100,000 (up to a maximum $5 million total difference) in any trade.

While it looks like the Rockets would not want to make any moves that increase payroll beyond this season (see below) unless they are acquiring a star, it is possible that the Rockets could serve as a depository for expiring contracts from tax-paying teams. That is, if the tax-paying team is willing to offer up, say, a future second round pick (or maybe even a first rounder) for the Rockets’ troubles.

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Chris Kaman

This scary man could be playing for the Rockets... for the right price.

One rumored trade acquisition is New Orleans Hornets center Chris Kaman, who is on the books for a whopping $14.03 million in the final year of his contract. This is likely far more money than the league-owned Hornets would like to spend on a veteran who is not even starting on an otherwise young team. The other 29 NBA team owners that have to foot the bill for the Hornets’ expenses certainly want to reduce this season’s payroll (which is several millions of dollars over the salary cap but still below the luxury tax threshold). While David Stern (uh, I mean the Hornets’ front office) is insisting on highly coveted young players and draft picks in exchange for Kaman (ironic that the most ludicrous trade proposals are coming from the front office run by the man in charge of approving or rejecting trades based on fairness), it will be interesting to see if any team actually bends to these demands. Most likely, the Rockets will offer little more than expiring contracts and cash (perhaps also a future second rounder) to help alleviate the Hornets’ financial burden. Whether such an offer will net the Rockets Kaman will be something to watch out for between now and the March 15 trade deadline.

Look for the Rockets to explore trades involving one or more of their own expiring contracts. It is quite obvious that efforts to trade some of the former 2009 lottery picks prior to the January 25 option exercise deadline yielded no favorable results. As the season progresses, the Rockets’ asking price for these players will probably decrease, with buyouts even possible if they are not traded by March 15. (I’m looking at you, Hasheem.)

One current Rocket free-agent-to-be to keep an eye on is Goran Dragic. Given his relatively high level of play since joining the Rockets, along with the likelihood that he will be offered more money in unrestricted free agency than the Rockets are willing to spend on him, there is a decent chance that the Rockets look to move him (perhaps for a future draft pick) at the trade deadline. Of course, the Rockets could just as easily hold on to Dragic if they feel he is the difference between making the playoffs this season and missing them in the extremely competitive Western Conference.

Summer of 2012 – Clearing the Decks???
Barring any further roster moves, the Houston Rockets will have a minimum of approximately $33.99 million in salary commitments to seven players for the 2012-13 season: Kevin Martin ($12.44 million), Luis Scola ($9.41 million), Kyle Lowry ($5.75 million), Patterson ($2.10 million), Morris ($1.91 million), Parsons ($888,250), and a waived Dalembert ($1.5 million partial guarantee).

However, given Dalembert’s strong play–and the likelihood that there would be a trade market for him next summer–it is far more likely at this point that Dalembert’s full $6.7 million salary counts against the Rockets’ cap. It is also highly likely that the Rockets exercise the fourth-year option on Budinger for the league minimum salary of $885,120. Add to that the rookie scale cap hold for Motiejunas ($1.13 million), who will probably come over next season, and the Rockets’ total salary commitments increase to about $41.20 million for nine players.

Adrien is set to earn the league minimum $854,389 if he manages to remain on the roster beyond July 14, 2012. Restricted free agent Courtney Lee will have a cap hold of about $5.56 million (more details on Lee’s free agency can be found here); and Dragic, an unrestricted free agent, will have a cap hold of about $4.01 million. With these additions, the Rockets’ total salary commitments further increase to $51.62 million for twelve players.

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As of the publishing of this update, it was unclear to me how the new CBA treated cap holds for rookie scale contracts where a team option was declined (as is the case for Thabeet, Flynn, Hill and Williams).  Under the previous CBA, the cap hold amount was equal to the maximum salary.  While I am not sure whether this “max cap hold” concept carried over to the new CBA, it is largely irrelevant, since the Rockets expect to have cap room available this summer.  My gut feeling, though, is that the Rockets will be unable to exceed the salary cap to re-sign any of those four players to above the league minimum salary.

Houston Rockets Goran Dragic

How the Rockets handle Goran Dragic's free agency may greatly determine their available cap room.

Based on next season’s salary cap figure ($58.044 million, at which the salary cap will be artificially set before resetting based on the new BRI split in 2013), in order for the Rockets to maintain rights to their current players (except for the former 2009 lottery picks), they will have approximately $6.42 million in salary cap room.  This assumes that the Rockets value Dragic at an amount greater than his $4.01 cap hold and would like to retain him at a starting salary in excess of his cap hold figure rather than to spend that money elsewhere.  If the Rockets instead wish to cut ties with Dragic–or if they feel that they can just re-sign him to a starting salary of less than $4.01 million–then the team’s cap room figure increases to about $10.43 million (before accounting for the amount necessary to re-sign Dragic).

That’s without taking into account (a) the cap holds for the former 2009 lottery picks, (b) the cap holds for the Rockets’ 2012 first round picks (second round picks do not count against the cap until signed), and (c) the increased cap figure for Motiejunas if the team signs him to 120% of his rookie scale salary in order to get him into summer league before the start of 2012 free agency. If, for example, the Rockets and the New York Knicks both miss the playoffs and the Rockets end up with the # 11 and # 14 picks, and if the team signed both of those players and Motiejunas to 120% of their rookie scale salaries in order to get them into summer league play on time, then even after renouncing rights to the 09’ers, the Rockets’ available cap room with their current set of players could be as low as $2.24 million (or $6.25 million, without Dragic).

Not to worry, though. This figure is on the low end of the spectrum of the Rockets’ available cap room. If, on the other hand, the Rockets timely waive Dalembert and Adrien, don’t exercise Budinger’s option, manage to keep Motiejunas overseas for another year, renounce their rights to all free agents and do not end up with any 2012 first round picks, then their cap room with the current roster could be as high as $21.21 million.  While the Rockets will not likely commit all of those cap-clearing acts, it is reasonable to expect them to have cap room towards the higher end of this spectrum if necessary to acquire a star player.

Of course, none of these figures account for the near-inevitability of the Rockets making additional roster moves between now and the end of the 2012 offseason, with a chance that the team could open up even more cap room with a trade of Martin or Scola. Even then, though, it is unlikely that the Rockets will have enough cap room to sign two maximum salary free agents, especially if one of them is Dwight Howard (who will be eligible to receive a “super max” salary starting at about $19 million).

Conclusion
The Rockets have set themselves up nicely to make a run at a major acquisition next summer, either via free agency or via trade, by creating the potential to have copious amounts of cap room. How their desire to even have a chance at a prize like Howard or Deron Williams will affect the roster moves they make this season remains to be seen. Would the Rockets be willing to endanger their playoff hopes this season by trading current key pieces in order to increase their chance for a 2012 offseason prize?

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Only time will tell.

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Looking Back on the Trade for Phoenix’s Draft Picks

Are the Rockets set to cash in on Phoenix’s downfall or could a Suns retool murky the waters?

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Houston Rockets Trade Phoenix Suns Draft Picks

As the Houston Rockets set to host the Phoenix Suns tonight, it seems the right time to take a look back at the trade that linked these two franchises together for the foreseeable future.

This past June, the Rockets made a trade with Brooklyn that sent back to the Nets control of their 2025 and 2026 unprotected first-round picks. In exchange, the Rockets received a large chunk of Phoenix’s future (2025, 2027, 2029) and control of the Dallas Mavericks’ 2029 first.

In essence, the Rockets traded one pick and one swap for two picks and two swaps. All unprotected.

Thoughts At The Time of the Trade

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If I’m going to discuss the current outlook of this trade, I have to be honest about how I saw it at the time of the move. While I didn’t hate this trade initially, I definitely didn’t love it either.

I liked that the Rockets increased their overall trade assets. I also liked that they extended the timeline to be able to make a bigger trade and I also appreciated that they kept control of the 2027 Brooklyn swap.

But I didn’t like that the Rockets gave up what seemed like the more established value (Brooklyn) for a more uncertain gamble (Phoenix). The Rockets did not control a “tanking runway” of picks to offer back to Phoenix — all of the picks Houston got in the deal were in staggered years (’25, ’27, ’29). I also felt Brooklyn, who badly needed to rebuild, got away with paying market value to get their picks back despite the fact that the Rockets invested years in watching those picks appreciate up to the point that they had the Nets completely over a barrel.

Net-net: I felt like more certainty was traded for less certainty and it was more of an equitable trade for both teams rather than Brooklyn paying dearly to get back the things only the Rockets could offer.


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There were two ways I thought this trade could pay dividends: The Suns needed to flame out immediately, as in this season (unlikely), or the Rockets could trade all those pick assets as part of a deal for a real superstar in the next 12-18 months (more likely).

In a testament to how quickly change can occur in a very unpredictable NBA, four things have happened that have been positive indicators for the Rockets in making this move.

The Suns are fading

While Phoenix had major salary cap issues, dealing with the second apron, they didn’t appear to have problems on the court. They jumped out of the gate 8-1 and looked like a legitimate contender behind their star trio of scorers in Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.

Given Houston controlled Phoenix’s pick this year via a swap, it looked like the Rockets would come up empty-handed on the trade this season.

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That changed quickly.

Injuries, serious depth concerns and a lack of a defensive identity has sent Phoenix spiraling. Booker’s availability has been inconsistent, forcing Durant to carry the load, while Beal has not quite fit in at all. Their financial limitations, thanks to owner Mat Ishbia’s all-in spending spree, have handcuffed their ability to improve the roster around the three stars.

The Suns are sitting 11th in the West, having gone 22-34 since that hot start, and are currently trying to catch a depleted Dallas squad to get back into the play-in picture.

As of right now, the Rockets project to end up with a lottery pick (albeit a late one) this season out of the trade.

Phoenix was caught shopping Durant

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Because the Suns struggled so hard after the start, they tried to make a major move at the deadline but could not unload Beal, in large part due to his no-trade clause.

As a result, they may have made a misstep: They openly tried to trade Durant, which inevitably became public news.

Now? Durant will almost assuredly be traded this summer — likely to a destination that he handpicks. This means the Phoenix Suns will have to look at all possibilities for their future, including potentially having to give Rafael Stone and the Rockets front office a call.

But keep in mind, the Rockets can not offer Phoenix the ability to completely rebuild via the draft right now. Phoenix’s 2026 pick is controlled by Washington. They would have to get extremely creative to set that stage. A retool in Phoenix is much more likely.

Could Brooklyn have been better than expected?

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This one is tougher to gauge.

The Brooklyn Nets are currently tied for fifth-worst team in the league, giving them strong lottery odds this summer. This was expected. After all, the Nets, even with a healthy Mikal Bridges and a full roster, were not a good team last season, closing the year 20-41 in the final three quarters of the season. The Rockets ended up with the #3 pick (Reed Sheppard) as a result of Brooklyn’s mediocrity.

However, if the Rockets had not placed that pick back in Brooklyn’s hands, would the Nets be better than this?

Brooklyn brought in a new coach in Jordi Fernandez that has had a positive impact. They have dumped off players, such as Dennis Schroeder and Dorian Finney-Smith, that impacted winning. The bar to make the play-in in the East (.415 winning percentage) is obscenely low, with Brooklyn being just five wins away from it at the moment.

And on top of that, Brooklyn did have lots of draft capital that they could have moved to try to win now.

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It’s very tough to say as you don’t know if a team with Bridges still in Brooklyn might have actually been worse than this current squad, but you could make a case that the pick the Rockets would have ended up with from Brooklyn this season would be eerily similar to the one they will end up getting from Phoenix this year.

Again, this is a tough call.

Nico Harrison Hooked the Rockets Up

As part of the trade, the Rockets got control of the Dallas Mavericks’ 2029 first-round pick (unprotected, of course). While there’s really no way of knowing what a pick will be five years out, we did know that Luka Doncic would be just 29-30 years old that season and it was fairly etched in stone that he would be the core piece of a Dallas squad that season.

Enter chaos in Dallas.

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Doncic was shipped out in the trade that shocked the world, which could have a major impact on the Rockets. Dallas’ current core of Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis will be 37 and 36 years old that season, respectively.

On paper, the value of that pick shot up.

Final Summary

Right now, the outlook on these picks looks strong. One source stated off the record that they feel the 2029 Phoenix pick is the best pick asset out there that is owned by another team. The Rockets would be reluctant to add that one specifically into any trade unless it’s for a truly legitimate star.

But if there is any lesson that the NBA teaches us over and over again, it’s that it’s very hard to predict where a team will be a year from now, much less three years from now.

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Can the Rockets pressure Phoenix and leverage the ownership they have of their draft capital to get what they really want (Booker) from them? Could a Suns retool around Booker and Beal, with the right pieces and assets acquired from a Durant trade, significantly change their on-court outlook and cap sheet — which in turn could damage the value of the picks Houston controls?

Bottom line is it has worked out well this season, and the future forecast at the moment is promising. The current value of those future picks appears strong. What will likely determine history’s final grade for this trade will be how it sets them up for the trade to come, and that’s where fans will be looking to Stone and the front office for action starting this summer.

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Amen Thompson’s ankle injury will be re-evaluated in one week

“The things he does you can’t replicate,” says Rockets coach Ime Udoka

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Amen Thompson ankle injury while going for triple-double

Rockets young star Amen Thompson will have his ankle injury re-evaluated in one week, according to Ime Udoka.

Thompson had an MRI on Sunday and the Rockets coach confirmed all imaging (X-ray, MRI) was negative.

“Just some swelling and pain, obviously,” said Udoka.

If you listen to Udoka, you can tell he knows how special Amen is to this team. He said the Rockets are missing a lot by not having him out there.

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“Obviously, the things he does you can’t replicate,” said Udoka. “[Amen is] a guy that plays every position for us. When one goes down, he runs the point. If another is out, he runs the four.”

Amen is one of the best defensive players in the game, and as a one-on-one defender of guards/wings, he might already be the best in the league in just his second season. He’s holding his opponents to 40.5% shooting from the field, tops in the league.

“He’s a very unique defensive player,” said Udoka. “We got some guys that do some great things there, but I like to put him and Dillon on the best two usually, night to night. You got Tari and that’s a luxury as well, but the way he goes about it is different. His athleticism, size, speed, strength, shotblocking ability, steals… he’s all over the place.”

“Hard to replicate for sure.”

Amen injured his ankle late Saturday night in a blowout win against the Pelicans, but the unfortunate part was he probably should not have been on the floor in the first place.

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The Rockets had built well over a 30-point lead by early fourth quarter. Jalen Green was able to rest the entire fourth. Alperen Sengun came out of the game with 7-8 minutes left while Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason came out with 6:00 left. But Thompson, who had posted an insane +39 on-off number, remained in the game because he was one rebound shy of a triple-double with 15 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.

Udoka addressed that decision on Monday before the game against Orlando.

“What I typically don’t do is wholesale substitutions,” said Udoka of the decision to keep Amen in the game. “Albeit 30[-point lead] at six minutes [left] is different than losing to Minnesota, a 16-point lead with four minutes [left].”

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“I’ve seen it go both ways in the past. You take out guys too early and have to bring starters back, and vice versa.”

Thompson has played in 60 games this season, five short of being eligible for postseason awards. He absolutely should be up for an All-Defensive nod this season so keep an eye on him getting back in time for that. He would need to return to action no later than April 4th for the game against the OKC Thunder in order to play enough games to be eligible.

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How the Kyrie Irving Injury Impacts Rockets

Houston’s draft positioning and offseason plans could be impacted by Dallas

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Kyrie Irving Injury

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving was injured Monday night and the news dropped on Tuesday that the knee injury is serious — a torn ACL in his left knee that will end his season and a good portion of next season as well.

Brutal. I can’t think of an NBA team that imploded faster than the Dallas Mavericks.

You trade away a 25-year-old phenom who just hoisted you on his back en route to the NBA Finals a year ago. You cashed in that golden ticket to go all-in on a trio of aging stars in Kyrie, Anthony Davis, and Klay Thompson.

Bold strategy, Nico. Let’s see if it pays off.

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(Narrator: It’s not paying off.)

The Mavericks had some interesting potential this year and maybe the next couple of years once everyone was healthy, but now? Their star guard is likely out until the calendar year 2026 and Klay and AD aren’t getting any younger nor more durable. The Mavericks may have actually swapped their future for a present that never arrives — and Dallas GM Nico Harrison has to be feeling overwhelming pressure right now.

So how does this impact the Rockets?

For starters, Houston has a game remaining on the schedule against Dallas on March 14th at Toyota Center — Davis may or may not be back for that game.

More importantly, Dallas is the 10th seed in the West at the moment, just 3.5 games ahead of the Phoenix Suns (11th seed). The Rockets control Phoenix’s first-round pick unprotected this season via a swap. We need as many West teams as possible ahead of Phoenix to keep them out of the play-in/playoffs and to push them as deep into the lotto as possible.

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This complicates that. Phoenix’s remaining schedule is the toughest in the NBA by a good margin, with plenty of games left against the league’s best teams, so it still looks promising overall — but we’re talking about Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. They can still get hot at the right time while Dallas may struggle.

So keep a close eye on that. The good news is the Portland Trail Blazers are one of the hottest teams in the league and they are (shockingly) nipping at the Arizona squad’s heels.

Taking a look ahead to the offseason, the Kevin Durant Pursuit will be big.

This one is a little more complicated for Houston. The Rockets really want Devin Booker but, as of now, the Phoenix plan appears to be to trade KD this offseason and retool around Booker. The Rockets will have interest in Durant but they’re not going to sell the farm (prospects and all the picks) for a 37-year old like they would for Booker.

Three teams that I’ve heard a lot about from Rockets circles that will be in the mix are Houston, Minnesota and Dallas — Timberwolves and Mavericks have been considered the main competition. But, a lot of this will depend on Durant himself and where he wants to play at this stage of his career.

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Keep in mind also, if the Suns are “retooling” around Booker and Beal (holding the no-trade clause), then they could be placing a higher priority on win-now players over the return of their own draft assets. The Rockets definitely have the best assets overall to offer up in any trade package between those three teams, but if Phoenix does prefer finding the right ready-to-win players around Booker/Beal, that gives Dallas and Minnesota a real chance.

This injury “may” take Dallas out of the equation, and they are/were definitely a contender for KD’s services given his past relationship with Kyrie and the way Dallas was positioned to win right now. Does KD at his age want to wait for Kyrie to be healthy?

And one last friendly reminder: The Rockets control that Dallas 2029 first (unprotected).

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Rockets Sign David Roddy to Two-Way Contract

Former first-round pick has played with the Grizzlies, Suns and Hawks

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David Roddy Houston Rockets

The Rockets made a move on Monday, signing former first-round pick David Roddy to a two-way contract.

The two-way spot opened up after the front office signed Jeenathan Williams to a standard four-year, $8.2 million contract (with friendly team options all along the way).

Roddy is 6-foot-5 and 250+ pounds but sports a 6-foot-11 wingspan. He was taken with the 23rd pick in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft — six selections after the Rockets drafted Tari Eason. A standout in college, Roddy averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game during his junior season at Colorado State.

Roddy, who turns 24 later this month, is a physical player who can play multiple positions. He’s a solid rebounder for his size/position. He has played in 165 games over three seasons with the Grizzlies, Suns, Hawks and most recently Sixers, averaging 6.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.

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The guard/forward has not shown efficient shooting, however — he’s a career 30.5% three-point shooter and just 68.4% from the line. His defense is better inside than out.

Ultimately, it will be those two things — three-point shooting and defense — that will determine his chances of carving out a consistent role in the league.

All in all, it’s a low-risk signing and the Rockets get a look at a prospect that fits their age timeline.

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Houston a potential landing spot for Ben Simmons post-buyout?

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Ben Simmons Houston Rockets

ESPN NBA analyst Brian Windhorst said on Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline show that Brooklyn Nets forward Ben Simmons is working on a buyout and the Houston Rockets is a potential landing spot for him.

“Cleveland and Houston are two situations for Ben Simmons,” said Windhorst.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka was an assistant coach in Philadelphia in 2019-20 when Simmons was with the Sixers, before injuries took a significant toll. In fact, Udoka, when speaking about Amen Thompson earlier this season, brought up some comparisons to Simmons.

“The skill set is there, and it’s something that’s unique with his speed, athleticism, size, passing ability, and all those things,” said Udoka of Thompson. “I coached somebody, Ben Simmons, who had similar traits… as far as size and ability to push the pace, and find guys and finish. There are some similarities there.”

Both Thompson and Simmons are known for their elite athleticism, defensive versatility, and ability to create opportunities in transition.

However, can Simmons help the Rockets today? That’s the tough question.

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Simmons has played in 33 games this season, averaging 6.2 points, 6.9 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks in 25 minutes a night. He does not shoot threes (like, at all) — he has only attempted two threes in the past three seasons combined.

Ideally, he does not play in front of your young forwards of Amen, Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr. and on that basis alone, I think I would pass. But, Ime loves defensive dogs and he could use some extra ballhandling on the roster. You can see that there’s little in the way of offensive organization when Fred VanVleet is out.

There would be a comical full circle moment though if the Rockets did sign Ben Simmons, considering the Rockets were heavily criticized for trading James Harden in 2021 to Brooklyn instead of to Philadelphia for Simmons. The Rockets clearly made the right choice there.

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