Southwest Notes: Rockets, Christie, Lazare, Spurs
Rockets fans should expect to see much more of the two-big lineups featuring Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams this season, writes Kelly Iko for The Athletic.
Despite the fact that neither are shooters — Sengun made just 23.3% of his three-pointers last season while Adams is 1-of-17 in his career from beyond the arc — Houston found an unexpected level of success playing the duo together. The two skilled international bigs were able to leverage their passing, rebounding, and toughness around the rim to great success, and Iko writes that other Western Conference teams took note and may attempt to follow suit.
Bringing in Clint Capela should help the Rockets manage Adams’ minutes, though since Capela is less of a play-maker than the other two centers, it remains to be seen if they’ll attempt to capture the same type of magic by putting him in lineups with Sengun.
The Rockets know that Sengun will have to expand his range, not just for these lineups, but also to facilitate playing with Amen Thompson, another very limited shooter. Iko writes that becoming more comfortable outside of the three-point line is one of Sengun’s priorities this offseason, and Thompson is hard at work on his jumper as well.
We have more from the Southwest division:
- Max Christie is excited to reunite with new Mavericks teammate D’Angelo Russell, writes Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News. “That’s one of my closest friends and closest teammates,” Christie said. “We were together for two years out in L.A. and I respect him a lot.” Christie has had an eventful start to his career, from playing with LeBron James to being included in a trade for Luka Doncic, to now forming a new young core with Cooper Flagg and Dereck Lively II to complement Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, when Irving returns from injury. He’s excited for the challenge, citing the day he was traded as his favorite day as an NBA player. “We got a good roster,” he said. “We got a good coaching staff. We’re looking forward to making a big splash in the West.”
- The Grizzlies are adding Darnell Lazare onto their coaching staff, Drew Hill reports for The Daily Memphian (subscriber link). Lazare previously worked for the Grizzlies as a player development coach in 2018 before joining the Pelicans in a similar role, notes Damichael Cole writes for Memphis Commercial Appeal. Cole writes that Lazare is expected to work with Memphis’ big man rotation after working closely with Pelicans rookie Yves Missi last season.
- The Spurs have committed over $1 billion in funding to San Antonio’s downtown revitalization, which will include a new arena, write Amanda Moreno and Chris Hoffman of News 4 San Antonio. The civic project, known as Project Marvel, could cost up to $4 billion in total, and the Spurs’ commitment is expected to help alleviate some of the fiscal concerns. The Spurs’ investment includes $500MM for a new arena, $500MM in downtown development, and $60MM in community incentives, affordable tickets, and small business support. “As we have done since 1973, we are operating in good faith, grounded in deep love for our community and a sincere desire to help San Antonio thrive,” said Spurs chairman Peter J. Holt. The team is asking the city to contribute another $500MM to the arena costs. The Spurs are expected to stay in their current home, the Frost Bank Arena, until 2032, when the lease expires.
Rockets Notes: Green, Finney-Smith, Durant, Sheppard
Former Rockets guard Jalen Green reflected on his time in Houston, along with the trade that sent him to the Suns, in a lengthy post on The Players Tribune. Green was part of the price the Rockets paid, along with Dillon Brooks and the 10th pick in this year’s draft, to acquire Kevin Durant. Although he’s sad to leave the city, Green said he understands the reasoning behind the deal.
“Listen, nobody likes to get traded. But I can honestly say that I get it, bro,” he wrote. “This is a business, and if I was up there in the executive chair, I probably would’ve made the deal, too. I think it’s a better situation for both sides, and I’m just excited to get it popping with Book (Devin Booker), and to create that winning culture that we figured out down here in Houston.”
Selected with the second pick in the 2021 draft, Green represented the first step in the Rockets’ rebuilding process after trading James Harden. He went through a lot of losing during his first two years in Houston, but things turned around in 2023 when Ime Udoka was hired as head coach and Brooks and Fred VanVleet were brought in to change the culture. Green reflected on the growing process that led to a 52-win season and the second seed in the West.
“My rookie year, we won 20 games. Twen-tee, bro,” he added. “Within three years, we had the Toyota Center packed out for a home playoff game. I’ll always be proud of that. To flip it around like that, it’s about culture. We had our young core, but we also had vets like Fred VanVleet — guys who had really won in this league — showing us the way.”
There’s more from Houston:
- Dorian Finney-Smith talked about his decision to sign with the Rockets as a free agent in an interview with WAVY-TV during a recent visit to his hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia (hat tip to Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire). “I already know who they are. They play hard,” Finney-Smith said. “Coach Ime is one of the toughest coaches in the league. I’ve never seen him smile much when you’re playing against him. The first time I’ve ever seen him smile was when we had dinner, like two weeks ago. I like that, because I’m a competitor.” Finney-Smith added that he was planning to remain with the Lakers when the offseason began, but he was swayed by the opportunity in Houston.
- Durant hasn’t arrived in Houston yet even though it’s been more than a month since the trade was agreed to, Michael Shapiro of Chron.com writes in a story charting the offseason workouts of Rockets players. Durant has been seen at Fanatics Fest in New York City and the Wireless Festival in London, according to Shapiro, who adds that VanVleet recently made a visit to Turkey to train with Alperen Sengun.
- The Rockets’ decision to sign free agent wing Josh Okogie rather than another guard is a sign of confidence in their current backcourt players, especially Reed Sheppard, who will be counted on for a larger role after playing sparingly as a rookie, observes Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle.
Rockets Sign Josh Okogie
5:37pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
12:37pm: The Rockets and free agent wing Josh Okogie have reached an agreement on a one-year contract, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Charania reports that it’s a $3.1MM deal for Okogie, which suggests it’ll be worth his minimum ($3,080,921). It will be fully guaranteed, per Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Okogie, who will turn 27 in September, opened the 2024/25 season with Phoenix before being traded to Charlotte in January’s Nick Richards deal. He appeared in a total of 40 games for the Suns and Hornets, making seven starts and registering averages of 7.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 15.6 minutes per contest, along with a .443/.348/.741 shooting line.
Considered a talented, versatile perimeter defender, Okogie had excellent on/off-court splits during his stint with the Hornets, albeit in a small sample. The team had a +2.6 net rating in his 274 minutes of action and a -13.7 mark when he wasn’t on the court.
Okogie’s contract with the Hornets called for his $7.75MM salary for 2025/26 to become guaranteed if he remained under contract through June 30. The two sides agreed to push back that deadline to July 15 as the front office explored the trade market for the 6’4″ swingman, but Charlotte had no luck finding a deal and ultimately waived Okogie last week.
The Rockets recently released Jeenathan Williams, who had a non-guaranteed contract of his own, in order to move team salary approximately $3.6MM below the first tax apron, giving the club the ability to bring in one more veteran-minimum player to fill its 14th roster spot. It looks like Okogie, whose deal will count for about $2.3MM against the cap, will be that player, giving Houston another defensive-minded option on the wing.
Barring cost-cutting moves, the Rockets won’t have the ability to add a 15th man while remaining below their first-apron hard cap until later in the regular season.
Southwest Notes: Thompson, Nembhard, Fears, Queen, Morant
Rockets wing Amen Thompson is viewed as a future star, and he believes playing alongside Kevin Durant will speed up his development. He talked about joining forces with one of the most productive scorers in NBA history during a recent Summer League interview with Vanessa Richardson of Space City Home Network (hat tip to Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire).
“He’s going to make my life a lot easier,” Thompson said. “He’s one of the greatest players ever, one of the best scorers ever. … Definitely going to be passing it to him a lot. They’re going to be double teaming him, so I’m going to be cutting off the back of it.”
Thompson was a first-team All-Defensive honoree in his second NBA season and finished fifth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. He also showed improvement on offense, raising his scoring average to 14.1 PPG while shooting 55.7% from the field.
Thompson is looking forward to the influence Durant will bring to Houston as a veteran leader.
“I just hear his work ethic is different,” he said. “I feel like I have a different work ethic, too. Combining that, I think it’s gonna be fun.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Mavericks are very happy with the Summer League performance of Ryan Nembhard, who signed a two-way contract after going undrafted out of Gonzaga, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. He averaged 11.7 points and 6.7 assists in three games before being shut down and showed that he’s capable of running the offense. “You guys saw it,” Summer League head coach Josh Broghamer said. “Ryan didn’t have to prove anything else. Everyone knows we got a steal in him. He can play on the ball, off the ball, he’s going to be a hard-nosed defender — and we’re very excited about him going forward.”
- Pelicans rookies Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen displayed their unique skills in Las Vegas, but they both have things to work on, observes Rod Walker of NOLA. Fears showed his quickness, elite handle and athleticism, but he didn’t finish well at the rim and only shot 18.2% from three-point range. Queen has a deft shooting touch and passing ability for a big man, but he battled turnover issues before sustaining a torn scapholunate ligament that required surgery and will keep him out of action until October.
- Grizzlies guard Ja Morant may not be off the hook in a lawsuit filed by a teenager he punched in 2022, according to Lucas Finton of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. A judge ruled in April that Morant couldn’t be sued because he acted in self-defense, but an appeal in the case is set to be heard in late August.
Southwest Notes: Irving, Jones, Sheppard, Kawamura
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
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
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
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
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
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.”