Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets Sign Tyler Smith To Two-Way Deal

December 2nd, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Luke Adams

10:00 pm: The Rockets have officially signed Smith and waived Harris, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

3:12 pm: The Rockets intend to sign free agent forward Tyler Smith to a two-way contract, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer, who reports (via Twitter) that Houston will waive guard Kevon Harris in order to open up a roster spot for the newcomer.

Smith, 21, was the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 draft and spent his rookie season with the Bucks. However, he played a very limited role in Milwaukee, logging just 122 total minutes across 23 NBA appearances.

Smith played more regularly in the G League, averaging 25.1 minutes per contest across 25 outings for the Wisconsin Herd, but he didn’t put up big numbers for the Bucks’ NBAGL affiliate, averaging 10.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game with a .415/.327/.824 shooting line.

The victim of a roster crunch in Milwaukee, Smith was waived by the Bucks in October and entered the G League draft, where he was selected second overall by the Osceola Magic. The 6’9″ forward was subsequently traded to the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s affiliate, and has averaged 10.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.5 APG on .378/.243/.846 shooting through eight games for the Go-Go this fall.

Despite his underwhelming production in the G League, Smith still has enough value to earn a shot from the 13-5 Rockets, one of the NBA’s best teams so far this season. Smith is more likely to stay in the G League and join the Rio Grande Valley Vipers than to see regular playing time at the NBA level for Houston, but it’s worth noting that he could be active for up to 38 NBA games for the rest of the season.

Harris, 28, hadn’t played at all for the Rockets this season. A G League veteran, he made 34 total NBA appearances from 2022-24 while on two-way contracts with Orlando.

Nikola Jokic, Cade Cunningham Earn Player Of The Month Honors

December 2nd, 2025 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Pistons guard Cade Cunningham are the NBA’s Players of the Month for October/November, earning the honor for the Western and Eastern Conference, respectively, per an announcement from the league (Twitter link).

It’s the ninth time that Jokic has won a Player of the Month award over the course of his 11-year career. He earned it in this case with a superlative start to the season that saw him comfortably average a triple-double – 28.9 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 10.9 assists per game – while leading Denver to a 14-5 record.

Jokic’s shooting percentages were arguably even more remarkable than his per-game averages, as he shot 63.7% from the field and converted 45.3% of his three-point attempts.

The Nuggets star came out on top of a competitive field that included nominees like fellow MVP candidates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder and Luka Doncic of the Lakers. Clippers guard James Harden, Rockets center Alperen Sengun, Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, Lakers guard Austin Reaves, and Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards were also nominated for Player of the Month in the West, according to the NBA (Twitter link).

In the East, meanwhile, Cunningham’s Pistons have been one of the most pleasant surprises of the season’s first six weeks. While Detroit was viewed as a strong playoff contender, few NBA observers expected the team to win 16 of its first 20 games and sit atop the Eastern Conference at the end of November.

Cunningham was the driving force behind the Pistons’ hot start, averaging 28.8 points, 9.4 assists, and 6.4 rebounds in 36.8 minutes per game across 17 outings, while shooting 45.6% from the floor and 81.5% from the free throw line.

Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Heat guard Norman Powell, Magic forward Franz Wagner, and Knicks teammates Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were also nominated for Eastern Conference Player of the Month, which Cunningham won for the first time in his career.

Scottie Barnes, Cason Wallace Named Defensive Players Of The Month

December 2nd, 2025 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Raptors forward Scottie Barnes is the Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for October/November, while Thunder guard Cason Wallace won the award for the Western Conference, according to an announcement from the NBA (Twitter link).

Barnes led the surprising Raptors to a 14-7 record through the end of November, and the team posted the NBA’s sixth-best defensive rating (111.5) during that time. According to the league, the versatile 6’8″ forward ranked fourth in the East in deflections in October/November (4.0 per game) and was the only player in the NBA to rack up at least 30 steals and 30 blocks.

Wallace, meanwhile, is one of many standout defenders on a dominant Thunder team that went 20-1 with a remarkable 103.6 defensive rating in October/November. Oklahoma City was three-and-a-half games better than any other NBA club during that time, and its defensive rating was nearly seven points per 100 possessions better than that of the second-place Rockets (110.3).

While the Thunder’s defensive performance is a team effort, Wallace led the NBA in steals per game (2.2) to open the season and also had more deflections per game (5.0) than any other player in the West, despite playing a relatively modest 28.6 minutes per contest.

It’s the first time that either Barnes or Wallace has won the Defensive Player of the Month award, which was introduced at the start of last season. According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other players nominated in the East were Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, and Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart — Mobley and Daniels each earned Defensive Player of the Month recognition twice last season.

In the West, Wallace’s Thunder teammates Luguentz Dort and Chet Holmgren were also nominated. Rockets guard Amen Thompson was the only non-OKC nominee in the conference.

Unusual Strategy Has Led To NBA's Second-Best Offense

November 30th, 2025 at 10:43pm CST by Rory Maher

The 13-4 Rockets have the NBA’s second-best offense despite attempting the fewest three-pointers in the league and not shooting well on their two-point tries, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic. Houston’s unusual offensive strategy is reliant on dominating the boards, which leads to extra shot attempts — the Rockets are outrebounding their opponents by more than 10 per game, with most of that work coming on the offensive glass.

2025/26 NBA Disabled Player Exceptions

November 28th, 2025 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

A disabled player exception can be granted when an NBA team has a player go down with an injury deemed to be season-ending. The exception gives the club some additional spending flexibility to add a single-season replacement in the trade market or in free agency

We go into more detail on who qualifies for disabled player exceptions, what they’re worth, and how exactly they work in our glossary entry on the subject. But essentially, a DPE allows a team to sign a player to a one-year contract, trade for a player in the final year of his contract, or place a waiver claim on a player in the final year of his contract. The exceptions are worth either half the injured player’s salary or the amount of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception (whichever amount is less).

Because the rules related to disable player exceptions are somewhat restrictive and the exceptions themselves generally aren’t worth a lot, they often expire without being used. Still, it’s worth keeping an eye on which disabled player exceptions have been granted, just in case.

We’ll use this space to break down the teams with disabled player exceptions available for the 2025/26 league year, updating it as the season progresses if more teams are granted DPEs and/or to indicate which ones have been used.

Teams have until January 15 to apply for a disabled player exception and until March 10 to actually use them.

Here’s the list so far:

Available disabled player exceptions:

Houston Rockets:
- $12,500,000 (Fred VanVleet)

VanVleet tore the ACL in right knee at an unofficial team mini-camp in September, prior to the start of training camp, and underwent surgery to address the injury a few days later.

A report in October indicated that the Rockets had applied for a disabled player exception in response to VanVleet’s injury, and while there was no follow-up report confirming that request was granted, Eric Pincus of Sports Business Classroom has the $12.5MM DPE on his list of available exceptions, which suggests the NBA officially signed off.

Unfortunately for the Rockets, they’re operating about $1.26MM below their first-apron hard cap and can’t surpass that threshold at any time during the 2025/26 league year. As a result, they can’t really add salary using the VanVleet disabled player exception at this point, though there’s a chance it could come in handy on the trade market, or in free agency later in the season.

Indiana Pacers:
- $14,104,000 (Tyrese Haliburton)

Haliburton’s injury technically occurred during the 2024/25 league year, as he tore his right Achilles tendon during Game 7 of the NBA Finals in June. However, because the injury will sideline Haliburton for all of ’25/26, the Pacers were granted a disabled player exception. It’s worth the amount of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, since half of Haliburton’s $45.6MM salary would far exceed that amount.

The Pacers are operating about $4.7MM below the luxury tax line, so they’re unlikely to add a significant amount of extra salary during the season, but this exception is big enough that there are a variety of ways in which they could end up using a portion of it.

Los Angeles Clippers:
- $2,677,000 (Bradley Beal)

The Clippers were awarded their disabled player exception in the wake of Beal’s season-ending hip injury. It’s worth half of his $5.35MM salary.

The Clippers are in nearly the exact same situation as the Rockets, with an open spot on their 15-man roster but without enough breathing room below their first-apron hard cap to sign a free agent to fill that spot until later in the season, with or without this DPE. The Clippers’ team salary is about $1.28MM below their hard cap, limiting their spending options for now.

Oklahoma City Thunder:
- $2,327,520 (Thomas Sorber)

For a second straight year, the Thunder’s top draft pick will miss his entire rookie season due to an ACL tear. Oklahoma City knew about Nikola Topic‘s injury when they drafted him in 2024, but Sorber’s happened in early September during an offseason workout.

The Thunder were granted a disabled player exception for Sorber’s injury, but it’s not worth much. The only ways in which it could realistically end up being useful would be to trade for a player on a near-minimum contract that can’t be absorbed using the minimum salary exception or to outbid a team offering a prorated minimum-salary deal on the buyout market.

Oklahoma City’s position relative to the luxury tax line is worth noting. The team is just over $1MM away from that threshold and will likely want to stay below it this season to avoid starting the repeater clock.

Pacific Notes: Melton, Kuminga, Murray, Christie, Brooks

November 26th, 2025 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors assigned a trio of players to the G League on Wednesday, with guard De’Anthony Melton and forwards Jonathan Kuminga and Gui Santos all joining the Santa Cruz Warriors in order to scrimmage, tweets Anthony Slater of ESPN. Santos was getting some conditioning work in, while Melton and Kuminga are in the final stages of injury recoveries.

According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, the Warriors are optimistic that Melton will be able to make his season debut following an ACL tear during the first week of December. The veteran guard is due to be reevaluated this weekend.

As for Kuminga, who has been sidelined due to bilateral knee tendonitis, the hope is that he won’t have any setbacks during his scrimmages with Santa Cruz. If that’s the case, there’s an expectation that the fifth-year forward could be back on the court at some point during Golden State’s current home stand, which wraps up on December 2, Siegel reports.

We have more from around the Pacific:

The Kings have won two of three games since Keegan Murray made his season debut, and the fourth-year forward was especially effective in Monday’s overtime victory over Minnesota, with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Teammate DeMar DeRozan spoke after that win about what Murray’s return means to the team, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee relays (via Twitter). “It’s everything,” DeRozan said. “Keegan is the key to this team. It’s his team. He’s one of those guys who’s going to be very, very special in this league and he’s showing it.”
While there have been some questions about Doug Christie‘s job security in Sacramento, Kings general manager Scott Perry told Sam Amick of The Athletic this week that he has “complete confidence” in Christie to “lead this team into better times.” Sacramento’s head coach appreciated the public show of support, according to Anderson. “His backing, the alignment from him, is huge,” Christie said. “He hasn’t said anything to me differently, so I’m glad that he said that (publicly). More than anything, it’s about us playing a style and a brand of basketball that Sacramento Kings fans can be proud of. On the path to that, there are a lot of steps to that, but first things first. I appreciate that from Scott. Obviously, when the boss speaks highly of you, it’s a good thing.”
Playing against the Rockets on Monday for the first time since Houston traded him to Phoenix over the summer, Suns forward Dillon Brooks talked trash to his former teammates and accused them of flopping, writes Doug Haller of The Athletic. However, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka took it in stride, telling reporters that Brooks’ impact during his two years in Houston was “invaluable” and he doesn’t mind the forward’s tendency to push boundaries. “To bring in a veteran, like him and Fred (Van Vleet), to change the culture and environment, the competitiveness on a nightly basis,” Udoka said. “You’ve seen that happen here. I don’t mind at all. We both toe the line I guess at times, but he’s a guy that I love and have a ton of respect for.”

Southwest Notes: Sheppard, Edey, Coward, Pelicans

November 25th, 2025 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Rockets guard Reed Sheppard made just 2-of-9 shots from the floor in his first start of the season on Monday in Phoenix, but he contributed five assists and three steals in his 27 minutes, and Houston was a +6 when he was on the court. It marked the eighth consecutive game in which the Rockets outscored their opponent during Sheppard’s minutes.

While the 21-year-old still has plenty of room to grow, Sheppard has taken a significant step forward so far this season, with his averages – 13.1 PPG and 3.2 APG on .490/.471/.706 shooting – up across the board. As William Guillory of The Athletic writes, Houston’s odds of competing for a title are only increasing as a result of the second-year guard’s improvement.

“The real thing is the opportunity he’s getting, and he’s taking advantage of it,” head coach Ime Udoka said of Sheppard last week. “You’re going to get more of a rhythm with the more minutes and opportunities you get. We needed him to take that step this year, regardless of Fred (VanVleet) being out. He’s really been great. We want him to continue to be confident.”

Sheppard, who started in place of Kevin Durant on Monday, could have another opportunity to be part of the starting five on Wednesday in Golden State, with Durant out for a second straight game for personal reasons.

Here’s more from out of the Southwest:

After missing the first 13 games of the Grizzlies‘ season as he recovered from offseason ankle surgery, center Zach Edey exited his fifth game back early on Monday due to a head injury. If Edey is forced to miss time, it would be a major blow to Memphis, says Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, given that the club has a +16.5 net rating in Edey’s minutes and a -8.0 mark when he doesn’t play. “Zach is a huge part of what we do, both offensively and defensively,” teammate Cedric Coward said after Monday’s loss to Denver. “Just his presence alone is so meaningful to the team. You guys understand, when he came back, how much better our team got defensively, on the rebounding end, even the offensive end. His roles are gravitating guys inside, so we’re getting easier shots on the outside. It was a huge loss.”
Coward has been one of the NBA’s most productive rookies this fall and is making the Grizzlies look good for trading up to No. 11 in June to draft him, as a Western Conference scout tells Grant Afseth of RG.org. “He only played six Division I games after the partially torn rotator cuff, and that made him one of the biggest unknowns in the draft,” the scout said of Coward. “A lot of scouts weren’t sure how his game would translate against top talent because he’d spent most of his college career at Willamette and Eastern Washington. But Memphis clearly saw something real. … And now he’s outperforming even the optimistic projections. He looks completely comfortable at this level.”
The Pelicans‘ past two games provided a reminder of Zion Williamson‘s impact. After scoring just 98 points on Saturday as Williamson sat out the second game of a back-to-back, New Orleans poured in 143 points on Monday vs. Chicago with Williamson back on the court. While the star forward led the way with 29 points, Monday’s performance was a team effort, with eight players scoring in double figures, writes Les East of NOLA.com. “You couldn’t ask for a better team win when you look at the stat sheet,” said interim head coach James Borrego, who registered his first win since taking over for Willie Green.
Outside of the Hornets, who drafted four players in the top 34 in June, no team has gotten more minutes from its rookies so far this season than the Pelicans, according to Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com. That trend figures to continue going forward, Eichenhofer posits, since Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen, and Micah Peavy are all part of the rotation now and should see regular playing time with several New Orleans veterans sidelined due to injuries.

Key Dates For Teams Up Against Hard Cap, Tax Line

November 25th, 2025 at 8:04am CST by Luke Adams

There are currently five NBA teams who have an open spot on their respective 15-man rosters and don’t have the ability to sign a free agent to fill that opening because of their proximity to a first- or second-apron hard cap.

For instance, after hard-capping themselves at the first apron in the offseason, the Lakers are operating just $1,124,195 below that threshold. A prorated minimum salary for a veteran signed today would count against the cap for $1,834,380 and wouldn’t fit under Los Angeles’ hard cap. But as of January 18, that figure would drop to $1,121,743, just low enough for the Lakers to accommodate it.

Here are the dates as of which those five teams who have 14-man rosters and are right up against a hard cap could first sign a player:

January 7: Los Angeles Clippers
January 8: Houston Rockets
January 9: Orlando Magic
January 18: Los Angeles Lakers
April 2: New York Knicks

The Warriors were also on this list when the season began, but they now have enough room below their hard cap to sign a 15th man — every day they put off doing so creates a little more flexibility below that threshold, which could come in handy later in the season.

Those teams aren’t the only ones worth keeping an eye on due to their cap limitations though. The Mavericks, for example, have a full 15-man roster, but could be looking to make a change after ruling out Dante Exum for the season due to a knee injury. That wouldn’t be possible right now though, since Dallas is just $1,292,084 away from a second-apron hard cap. The Mavs won’t be able to add a new 15th man in place of Exum until January 6, at which point a prorated minimum deal would carry a cap charge of $1,280,107.

There are also a handful of teams operating just under the luxury tax line who wouldn’t have the ability to sign a free agent to a minimum-salary contract without surpassing that threshold. The tax line isn’t a hard cap, so there’s nothing stopping a club from surpassing it today and then trying to duck below it later in the season. But that comes with some risk, since getting below the tax typically requires the cooperation of a trade partner.

Here are the teams currently unable to sign a veteran free agent without going into the tax, along with the dates when that will change:

December 13: Miami Heat
December 19: Portland Trail Blazers
January 26: Oklahoma City Thunder

The Trail Blazers and Thunder currently have full 15-man rosters, and there’s no indication that either team wants to make a roster move. The Heat, on the other hand, have an open roster spot, so they’re worth keeping a closer eye on starting in mid-December.

It’s worth noting that all of these dates apply to free agent signings only. If a team were to sign a player whose draft rights it held to a rookie minimum contract, the cap hit would be significantly lower, so it could happen sooner. But few teams have that sort of draft-rights player waiting in the wings to join the roster during the season.

We should also mention that the dates above only apply to one-year, minimum-salary contracts. If a team wants to bring in a player on a multiyear minimum deal, the first-year cap hit is generally higher, so it would have to happen later in the season.

Finally, these dates are all contingent on the team’s current cap situation, so they’re subject to change if a club makes a trade, completes a buyout, or makes a 10-day signing that changes its position relative to the tax line or aprons.

Pacific Notes: Perry, DeRozan, Booker, Durant, Goodwin, Paul

November 24th, 2025 at 10:31am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Kings are in a familiar place, sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference standings after a 4-13 start. New general manager Scott Perry is preaching something that fans in Sacramento have heard for many years — be patient.

“I totally understand their frustrations to this point,” Perry told Sam Amick of The Athletic. “It hasn’t been what they wanted. But again, it’s the old saying that Rome wasn’t built in a day — and that’s a fact. If you look at a number of the top teams in the league, they all went through a very tough stretch when they were trying to lay a foundation and create an environment that led to sustainable winning. … All I’ve ever asked from the very beginning is just: buckle up, be patient for the ride. We definitely have a plan in place, and we’ll do this thing together.”

Complicating Perry’s mission is the fact that six high-salary players are signed through next season. The highest of the 2026/27 salaries, Zach LaVine‘s $49MM, is a player option and there’s no clarity as to whether he’ll pick it up, according to Amick. The Clippers have shown some interest in the oldest player on the Kings’ roster, DeMar DeRozan, per Amick. He has a partial guarantee ($10MM) on his $25.7MM contract for next season.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Kevin Durant will miss the Rockets’ game at Phoenix tonight due to a family matter. Suns guard Devin Booker is disappointed he won’t get to face his former teammate, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. “I hope everything is OK with his family first, but yeah, I would love a matchup with him,” Booker said.
Jordan Goodwin won a training camp battle to earn a roster spot after being claimed off waivers by the Suns. Goodwin has been a steady contributor off the bench, averaging 7.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. “He just has a knack not only on offensive rebounds, but deflections. Any type of loose balls. Just has a hunger to get the basketball. That’s part of who he is, that’s part of what made him and that’s part of why we love him,” coach Jordan Ott said, per Rankin (Twitter link).
Chris Paul evokes a wide range of reaction but The Athletic’s Zach Harper lays out his case of why the Clippers guard should be appreciated by NBA fans. The 12-time All-Star is retiring after the season.

Kevin Durant To Miss Rockets’ Next Two Games

November 23rd, 2025 at 2:31pm CST by Rory Maher

Rockets star Kevin Durant will miss the next two games as he tends to a family matter, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter).

Houston plays at Phoenix on Monday and at Golden State on Wednesday.

Durant continues to produce at a high level in his age-37 season. In 14 games (36.1 minutes per contest) so far with the Rockets, the 15-time All-Star has averaged 24.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steal, with a shooting line of .485/.364/.800.

While Durant has long been admired for his tremendous work ethic, he often preferred to lead by example. Being with a younger group in Houston has required the future Hall of Famer to become a more vocal leader, writes Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports.

“I got more comfortable speaking up when I see stuff,” Durant said. “I feel like I study the game a lot. I’ve been through every situation and experienced every situation. So I feel like that’s given me more confidence to speak up when I see things and to help my teammates as much as possible. But it’s just been a natural progression of me just being comfortable in the locker room, and also my teammates being open-minded to hear what I have to say.”

According to Iko, Durant is “particularly fond” of second-year guard Reed Sheppard, who has been playing excellent basketball over the past few weeks.

“Knowing the kind of person he is and how much confidence he’s given me is really cool,” said Sheppard, the second overall pick in the 2024 draft.

The Rockets will be shorthanded at forward with Durant out and Dorian Finney-Smith (offseason ankle surgery) and Tari Eason (oblique strain) recovering from injuries. Veterans Jae’Sean Tate and Jeff Green could receive more minutes in the short term, though Tate would need to be recalled from his G League assignment.