Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Irving, Jones, Sheppard, Kawamura

July 15th, 2025 at 8:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks president of basketball operations Nico Harrison said that Kyrie Irving is ahead of schedule in terms of his rehab from a torn ACL, according to Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal.

“Kyrie’s ahead of schedule, but we kind of knew he would be because of the way he attacks his rehab,” Harrison said. “He’s going two or three times a day. As much as he wants to rush it, we don’t want him to. But he’s going to be fine.”

No timetable has been set for Irving’s return but it’s anticipated he’ll back sometime after the New Year. The team added D’Angelo Russell in free agency to handle the point guard duties while Irving is on the mend. Irving signed a three-year, $119MM contract with a player option earlier this month.

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Pelicans officially re-signed Herbert Jones to three-year, $68MM extension on Monday. New executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars issued a statement regarding the signing that was relayed by Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link). “Herb Jones exemplifies all the great qualities our team values with his toughness, competitiveness, and commitment to getting better every day. We could not be more excited to sign Herb to this contract extension and keep him in New Orleans for many years to come,” Dumars said.
Several teams have shut down prominent young players during Summer League action. The Rockets did just that with 2024 lottery pick Reed Sheppard, Kelly Iko of The Athletic tweets. Sheppard had a 28-point game against the Clippers’ Summer League squad last week.
Yuki Kawamura spent this past season on the Grizzlies’ roster as a two-way player. He wasn’t extended a qualifying offer and subsequently was added to the Bulls’ Summer League roster. Kawamura is disappointed that Memphis didn’t retain him, according to Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I miss Memphis, for sure,” Kawamura said. “Memphis people are so nice. I wanted to play in Memphis this year, too, but it’s business. I’m satisfied right now. The Bulls organization is great. Good opportunity for me.”

Contract Details: Anthony, JJJ, Holmgren, J. Williams, Gafford

July 15th, 2025 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

Cole Anthony, whose previous cap hit had been $13.1MM, gave up exactly $2MM as part of his buyout agreement with the Grizzlies, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Memphis subsequently used the stretch provision to spread the $11.1MM still owed to Anthony across three seasons, resulting in annual cap hits of $3.7MM through 2027/28.

The move reduced Anthony’s 2025/26 cap charge by $9.4MM, generating the cap room necessary to renegotiate Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s ’25/26 salary from roughly $23.4MM up to $35MM, as Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron tweets. That allowed the Grizzlies to give Jackson a $49MM salary (ie. a 40% raise) in the first year of his new extension, which increases to $50.5MM in 2027/28 and $52MM in ’28/29, with a $53.5MM player option for ’29/30.

Jackson is now owed exactly $240MM over the next five seasons, having received approximately $216.6MM in new money in his agreement with Memphis.

Here are a few more details on contracts from around the NBA:

Chet Holmgren‘s new five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension with the Thunder doesn’t include Rose Rule language, but Jalen Williams‘ five-year max extension does, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks at Sports Business Classroom. According to Marks, Williams’ deal will start at 30% of the 2026/27 salary cap if he wins MVP, is named Defensive Player of the Year, or makes the All-NBA first team next season. If he makes the All-NBA second team, it would start at 27% of the cap, while a spot on the All-NBA third team would result in a starting salary at 26%. No All-NBA berth, MVP, or DPOY for Williams would result in a salary worth 25% of next year’s cap, matching Holmgren’s deal.
As expected, the terms of Daniel Gafford‘s new three-year veteran extension with the Mavericks are the maximum the team could have given the big man while maintaining his trade eligibility, tweets Marc Stein. Gafford got a 20% raise for 2026/27 to $17,263,584, with 5% annual raises for the next two seasons. The new three-year contract is worth a total of $54.38MM, on top of the $14.39MM he’ll make in 2025/26.
Rockets forward Jeff Green, Spurs guard Jordan McLaughlin, and Bucks wing Gary Trent Jr. have joined the list of players who waived their right to veto a trade in 2025/26 when they re-signed with their respective teams, Hoops Rumors has learned. A player who signs a new one-year deal (or two-year deal with a second-year option) with his previous team typically gets trade veto rights for that season, but those can be forfeited as part of the contract agreement.

Rockets Waive Nate Williams

July 13th, 2025 at 1:54pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Rockets have waived wing Jeenathan “Nate” Williams, per an official team press statement.

Williams’ $2,270,735 salary for the 2025/26 season with Houston was set to remain non-guaranteed until the start of the regular season. The 6’5″ vet has been partaking in his fourth Summer League with Houston this month.

The 26-year-old Williams played sparingly for Houston across the past two seasons, appearing in 42 total NBA contests. In 6.6 minutes per night, the Buffalo alum averaged 3.0 points and 0.9 rebounds, with a shooting line of .482/.258/.571.

Houston also officially announced its signing of undrafted former five-year Mississippi State forward Cameron Matthews to an Exhibit 10 training camp deal. His agreement was reported last month shortly after the draft.

A two-time SEC All-Defensive Teamer while with the Bulldogs, Matthews averaged 7.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.6 APG and 2.4 SPG in 34 appearances during his final NCAA season, 2024/25. Matthews had been ranked as the No. 83 prospect among this year’s class by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.

Rockets Notes: Sheppard, Smith, Green, Brooks

July 12th, 2025 at 9:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

Finishing with the second-best record in the West, the Rockets weren’t able to give Reed Sheppard the playing time that a No. 3 overall draft pick normally receives. So they’ve decided to make his development the focus of their Summer League team, writes Kelly Iko of The Athletic. That process extends beyond his on-court contributions, as Sheppard has also become a leader and teacher for his teammates as they work to earn NBA roster spots.

“He’s been more vocal with this group,” Summer League head coach Garrett Jackson said. “I’m constantly encouraging him to do that. But just being more assertive, getting us set up in our sets as the point guard of this team.”

Sheppard showed his full array of skills in Friday’s loss to the Clippers, finishing with a game-high 28 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks in 33 minutes. He’s been given full control of the offense in Las Vegas, with the instructions to play fast and freelance while adhering to principles set by head coach Ime Udoka.

“He’s getting better and better every day,” teammate Nate Williams said. “He puts in the work and I see him putting in the work behind the scenes. I love having him as a teammate. He’s not the most vocal guy — he leads with his actions — but he does what he’s supposed to do. Makes the right plays and does the right things off the court. He’s a good kid and he’s growing every day.”

There’s more on the Rockets:

Jabari Smith Jr. is hoping for a long-term future in Houston after agreeing to a five-year, $122MM rookie scale extension last month, per Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle. Instead of pushing for a higher salary or testing the market next summer as a restricted free agent, Smith opted to become the first member of the 2022 draft class to reach an extension. “It feels great to just know that you’re committed to the city where you want to be. I want to be here for the rest of my career,” Smith said. “So I’m glad that this is a good start to it, and I’m ready to build something.”
Jalen Green knew he was on the trade market for some time before the Rockets sent him to the Suns as part of Kevin Durant deal, Lerner states in a separate story. He arrived in Phoenix last week to begin preparations with his new franchise and said he plans to reconnect with his former teammates this week in Las Vegas. “They’ve been trying to trade me since last year,” Green said. “I’m not tripping. It’s for the better of the team. I know it’s a business at the end of the day. I really can’t handle how I feel. Whatever happens, happens. At the end of the day, I still got the opportunity to play basketball.”
Dillon Brooks, who was sent to Phoenix along with Green, told Lerner in another piece that he’ll miss the connections he had with his Rockets teammates. He exchanged greetings with several of them during Friday’s Summer League game. “I thought about it and the only reason why I was upset about it was because I loved playing with Fred VanVleet), playing with Ime,” Brooks said. “We grew something there and Ime and the coaching staff was family oriented and it was like a brotherhood. That was the only reason why I thought it was a little bit sad.”

Fred VanVleet Elected New NBPA President

July 12th, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:00 pm: According to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link), the other members of the Executive Committee are as follows:

Grant Williams, first vice president.
Mason Plumlee, secretary-treasurer.
Jaylen Brown, vice president.
Jaren Jackson Jr., vice president.
Donovan Mitchell, vice president.
Garrett Temple, vice president.
Karl-Anthony Towns, vice president.
Gabe Vincent, vice president.

6:01 pm: The National Basketball Players Association has elected Rockets guard Fred VanVleet as its new president, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). VanVleet will replace CJ McCollum and will serve a four-year term.

VanVleet, 31, has earned tremendous respect from his peers during his nine-year NBA career. He was one of the veteran players Ime Udoka brought in to help change the culture when he took over as head coach in Houston two years ago.

VanVleet was a beloved figure in Toronto before switching teams and played a vital role in bringing the city its only NBA title in 2019. He recently signed a two-year, $50MM deal to remain in Houston, and Charania notes that he has set several records for being the highest-paid undrafted player in league history (Twitter link).

With the expiration of his four-year term, McCollum will take on an advisory position with union, Charania adds. His time in office included a landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2023 that introduced the two-apron system and ensures labor peace through the 2029/30 season.

Southwest Notes: Jackson, Flagg, Queen, More

July 11th, 2025 at 8:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

GG Jackson II has had an up-and-down start to his Grizzlies career. After playing over 1,200 minutes his rookie year for a Memphis team ravaged by injuries, a broken foot – and a healthier squad around him – limited him to less than 500 minutes his sophomore season.

Now, with a new head coach in Tuomas Iisalo, Jackson is looking to settle into a role, and Iisalo is looking to help him do exactly that, Damichael Cole writes for Commercial Appeal.

“He told me last year when I was stuck in my head a lot that I’m (going to) coach you the hardest because I don’t want to be that guy that looks back in 20 years like, ‘Ah, that GG Jackson kid could have been something,'” Jackson said of his new coach. “He lets me know that he’s not going to let me fall, so that’s why I rock with him so much.”

Iisalo has emphasized Jackson attacking the basket more aggressively rather than settling for jumpers, and so far it’s worked. Jackson has averaged 21 points through three Summer League games as he vies for one of the remaining spots in the Grizzlies’ starting lineup.

We have more from around the Southwest division:

Cooper Flagg scored 10 points on 21 shots in his Mavericks debut. “That might be one of the worst games of my life,” he said, per The Athletic’s Christian Clark (via Twitter). “But we got the win. So that’s what really matters to me.” According to ESPN’s insider crew, Flagg’s performance showed his value even when the shot wasn’t falling, as his size and athleticism shone through, especially on the fast break, and his all-around game on both sides of the floor makes him look like a potential game-changer when paired with Dallas’ veterans. Although he didn’t score in the second half, he was able to contribute six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block to the final box score.
Derik Queen made his Pelicans debut on Thursday. According to Rod Walker of NOLA.com, there’s a lot for him to take away from the experience, both good and bad. Queen finished the game with seven turnovers after a particularly rough first half, but he also registered a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double. Those numbers don’t satisfy Queen, though, who knows there are a lot of eyes on him after the Pelicans traded an unprotected 2026 pick to draft him. “Twitter and Instagram are probably going crazy right now,” he said. “I have to redeem myself for me and all the outside noise.” Despite the self-effacing comment, Queen was ultimately encouraged by his play. “I think I flipped the switch in the second half. I feel like I got the hang of it now,” he said.
Pelicans 2025 lottery pick Jeremiah Fears and last year’s first-rounder Yves Missi had similarly hit-and-miss debuts, Walker writes. Fears scored 14 points, but had just two assists to seven turnovers. Missi shot 5-of-14 from the field and 3-of-9 from the free throw line, but ended with a strong 13-point, 13-rebound double-double. “[Missi] looks like he’s stronger,” said Summer League head coach Corey Brewer. “I think we are going to see a different Yves this year.”
Nate Williams‘ contract with the Rockets doesn’t become guaranteed until opening night, but he’s not letting that bother him as he heads into his fourth Summer League, writes Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle. “I really don’t worry about all that stuff,” Williams said. “I just work hard and come to play and have fun.” Rockets Summer League coach Garrett Jackson said that he’s going to lean on Williams, as well as Reed Sheppard, throughout the team’s time in Las Vegas. As for Williams, he’s focused on controlling what he can control. “We gonna put on a show tomorrow,” he said on Thursday ahead of the team’s Summer League opener on Friday. “We just gonna show everything: gonna shoot, gonna get to the basket, gonna make the right plays. Just have fun.”

Cap Observations: Mutual Options, DFS, Incentives, Nuggets, BAE

July 11th, 2025 at 4:21pm CST by Luke Adams

After NBA teams spent the week officially finalizing many of the trades and free agent signings they'd agreed to during the July moratorium (or earlier), we're starting to get a clearer sense of trends emerging among the contracts signed in 2025/26, as well as a better idea of how teams are managing their cap exceptions and apron-related restrictions.

With that in mind, we're taking a closer look today at some of those contract trends, as well as a unique trade kicker, a cap-related decision facing the Nuggets, and a new use of the bi-annual exception.

Let's dive in...

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Rockets Finalize Minimum Deals With Aaron Holiday, Jeff Green

July 10th, 2025 at 10:42am CST by Luke Adams

July 10: The Rockets have put out a press release officially confirming their new deals with Holiday and Green.

June 30: The Rockets have agreed to bring back guard Aaron Holiday and forward Jeff Green on one-year, minimum-salary contracts, reports Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The news doesn’t come as a surprise, given that word broke on Friday that Houston intended to re-sign both players – along with free agent forward Jae’Sean Tate – to deals at or near the veteran’s minimum. Tate reached a one-year, $3MM agreement with the club earlier today.

Holiday, who has spent the past two seasons in Houston, had a solid season in 2024/25 as a backup point guard, averaging 5.5 points, 1.3 assists, and 1.3 rebounds per game on .437/.398/.829 shooting. However, his playing time dipped — his 12.8 minutes per game represented a career low.

While the Rockets still like Holiday, they wanted to bring him back on a more team-friendly deal than his previous contract, so they turned down his $4.9MM team option and will now carry a $2.3MM cap hit for the 28-year-old in 2025/26.

Green also played less than ever in 2024/25, averaging a career-low 12.4 minutes per game in 32 appearances. However, he’s a respected veteran locker-room leader and held his own in his limited role, with averages of 5.4 PPG and 1.8 RPG and a .504/.367/.808 shooting line.

Groups Set For 2025 NBA Cup

July 9th, 2025 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced the six groups of five teams apiece for the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup, also known as the in-season tournament (Twitter link).

In order to set the groups, the league splits the Western and Eastern Conferences into five three-team tiers based on last season’s regular season standings, with one club from each tier randomly drawn into each of the conference’s three groups.

For instance, the top three teams from the West will all be in separate groups, with each of those three groups also featuring one team in the 4-6 range, one in the 7-9 range, and so on.

Here are the groups for the 2025 NBA Cup:

West Group A: Oklahoma City Thunder (1), Minnesota Timberwolves (6), Sacramento Kings (9), Phoenix Suns (11), Utah Jazz (15)
West Group B: Los Angeles Lakers (3), Los Angeles Clippers (5), Memphis Grizzlies (8), Dallas Mavericks (10), New Orleans Pelicans (14)
West Group C: Houston Rockets (2), Denver Nuggets (4), Golden State Warriors (7), Portland Trail Blazers (12), San Antonio Spurs (13)
East Group A: Cleveland Cavaliers (1), Indiana Pacers (4), Atlanta Hawks (8), Toronto Raptors (11), Washington Wizards (15)
East Group B: Boston Celtics (2), Detroit Pistons (6), Orlando Magic (7), Brooklyn Nets (12), Philadelphia 76ers (13)
East Group C: New York Knicks (3), Milwaukee Bucks (5), Chicago Bulls (9), Miami Heat (10), Charlotte Hornets (14)

The round-robin group play games will be starting a little earlier than usual this season and will run from October 31 to November 28. Each team will face the other four clubs in its group once, with the winners of each group and one wild card team from each conference advancing to the eight-team, single-elimination knockout round.

The full schedule of group play games can be viewed right here.

The quarterfinals will be played on December 9-10, with the semifinals and final to follow on Dec. 13 and Dec. 16, respectively, in Las Vegas. The knockout round games will all be aired by one of the NBA’s new broadcasting partners, Amazon Prime.

The Bucks won last season’s NBA Cup, with star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo earning MVP honors after leading Milwaukee to a victory over the Thunder in the championship game.

Free Agent Notes: Melton, Warriors, Horford, Hayes-Davis

July 8th, 2025 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

There was chatter early in the free agent period connecting De’Anthony Melton to the Lakers, but that talk has “cooled” in recent days, according to Jovan Buha, who said during a Monday live-stream (YouTube link) that the free agent guard has been more frequently connected to the Warriors as of late.

NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link) confirms as much, citing league sources who say that Golden State has emerged as a “strong contender” to sign Melton.

The Warriors used their full non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Melton to a one-year contract in free agency last season, but he suffered a season-ending ACL tear in just his sixth game with his new team. Prior to the injury, the 27-year-old was looking like an ideal fit in Golden State’s backcourt, with an average of 10.3 points per game and a .371 3PT%, albeit in a very small sample size.

Here are a few more free agent notes from around the NBA:

Big man Al Horford is another free agent who has been frequently connected to the Warriors. According to Noa Dalzell of CelticsBlog (Twitter link), Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens acknowledged on Tuesday that it’s “unlikely” Horford returns to Boston, though Stevens did say the team made offers to both him and Luke Kornet (who signed with San Antonio).
Veteran forward Nigel Hayes-Davis and Fenerbahce have officially parted ways, the Turkish team announced (via Twitter). The move paves the way for Hayes-Davis to get his FIBA letter of clearance and officially finalize his reported agreement with the Suns. Hayes-Davis reportedly turned down a lucrative offer from Fenerbahce that would have made him one of the EuroLeague’s highest-paid players.
Chris Herring, Zach Kram, Bobby Marks, and Kevin Pelton of ESPN broke down some of their favorite – and least favorite – moves of the free agent period so far, with Kornet to the Spurs, Brook Lopez to the Clippers, and Dorian Finney-Smith to the Rockets among the signings that earned kudos.