Houston Rockets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavaliers Rumors: Shumpert, Point Guards, Jack

October 28th, 2016 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

A report last Friday suggested that the Timberwolves and some other teams have inquired about the availability of Iman Shumpert, and weren’t exactly rebuffed by the Cavaliers. Although it’s true that Cleveland is answering the phone, the team isn’t actively looking to move Shumpert, a team source tells Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. Vardon adds that Shumpert would only be dealt for a player who improves the Cavs.

While it may simply be a matter of semantics, at least one NBA general manager was surprised to read that the Cavs aren’t “actively” shopping Shumpert, according to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net, who says a GM texted him about the report. “Guess I’m not sure what actively means,” the GM said. “That’s news to me and probably about six other (team executives).”

While the Cavs mull their options with Shumpert, let’s check out a few more items out of Cleveland…

Cleveland is believed to be in the market for a backup point guard, and veteran free agent Jarrett Jack looks like a decent fit, but the club only has a “passing interest” in Jack, a league source tells Amico.
Within his previously-linked mailbag, Vardon is asked about free agent point guards Jameer Nelson and Andre Miller as possible targets for the Cavaliers. Per Vardon, there are no indications that either Nelson or Miller is receiving interest from the team. The Cleveland.com scribe suggests Rockets guard Patrick Beverley is a possible trade target worth keeping an eye on, but adds that the Cavs will play Shumpert and DeAndre Liggins behind Kyrie Irving for now.
Having played for Canada this summer in a bid to earn a spot in the Olympics, Cavs big man Tristan Thompson was disappointed that several of his fellow countrymen weren’t on the roster, and hopes they’ll join the team for future competitions. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal has the quotes from Thompson, along with the details on how the experience helped him.

Rockets, Knicks, Nets Had Interest In Austin Rivers

October 26th, 2016 at 4:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The three-year free agent contract agreed upon by the Clippers and Austin Rivers this July looked like one of the least surprising moves of the summer, as Rivers opted to continue playing for his father, Doc Rivers, in Los Angeles. As Dan Woike of The Orange County Register details, however, Rivers drew interest from several teams, including the Rockets, Knicks, and Nets, and the 24-year-old suggests he was offered more money by at least one other suitor.

“I took less to come back here,” Rivers said of the Clippers. “I’m not taking this for granted. I was on a team where it was very bad. There are only four or five teams in the league with a realistic chance to win this year, and I think we’re one of them. I’m not taking this for granted. I know if I go somewhere else, I might not ever be on a team like this again. A lot of people go their whole career and never play on a team like this.”

After averaging a career-high 8.9 PPG in 67 regular-season games with the Clippers last season, Rivers increased his value further in the playoffs, assuming a greater role after Chris Paul went down with a hand injury. In L.A.’s last game of the season, as the team attempted to stave off elimination, Rivers put up 21 points and eight assists.

Rivers’ new deal with the Clippers is worth nearly $34.5MM over three years, so it’s unlikely that the Duke alum took a significant hometown discount. But he may have passed up the opportunity for more minutes and a bigger role with another team, as his head coach points out.

“He could’ve had that opportunity,” Doc Rivers said of his son. “For him to come back, it shows that winning is far more important and he enjoys the group.”

Ultimately, the Rockets and Knicks addressed their shooting guard needs in free agency by signing Eric Gordon and Courtney Lee, respectively. The Nets added Jeremy Lin, and signed Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe to offer sheets, which were matched.

Rockets Exercise Clint Capela’s 2017/18 Option

October 26th, 2016 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 26: The Rockets have officially picked up Capela’s 2017/18 option, according to RealGM.com.

OCTOBER 24: The Rockets will exercise their 2017/18 team option on Clint Capela‘s rookie contract, reports Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Capela’s fourth-year option is one of three rookie-scale decisions the team has to make before October 31 — Tyler Ennis and Sam Dekker also have ’17/18 options to be picked up or turned down.

Capela, 22, enjoyed a modest breakout season in 2015/16 after playing sparingly in his rookie year. Capela averaged 7.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 1.2 BPG in 19.1 minutes per contest last season, starting 35 of the 77 games he played for Houston.

If Rockets management had their way, Capela would have had an opportunity to play even more in 2015/16. According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com, interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff resisted complying with the wishes of GM Daryl Morey and owner Leslie Alexander, who wanted to see Capela receive more minutes at the expense of Dwight Howard.

With Howard and Bickerstaff no longer in Houston, new head coach Mike D’Antoni is presumably on board with the plan to give Capela an expanded role going forward. The young big man, who will earn a guaranteed $2,334,528 salary in 2017/18, will be extension-eligible during the 2017 offseason and eligible for restricted free agency during the 2018 offseason.

In other Rockets news, rookie guard Gary Payton II, who was waived by Houston earlier today, confirmed to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link) that the team has expressed interest in having him join the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Payton said there are a couple other teams interested in his services, so he’ll talk to his agent to determine his next move — he’s open to the idea of joining the Rockets’ D-League squad, per Berman.

Motiejunas Still In Limbo

October 25th, 2016 at 9:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

There are no updates on Rockets forward Donatas Motiejunas at this time, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com, who tweets that the NBA’s final restricted free agent of 2016 isn’t exploring overseas opportunities for now.

Rockets Waive Pablo Prigioni, Will Keep Tyler Ennis

October 24th, 2016 at 4:18pm CST by Luke Adams

4:18pm: The Rockets have changed their mind and will keep Ennis and are waiving veteran Pablo Prigioni instead, Charania tweets. As a result, Houston will be on the hook for Prigioni’s fully guaranteed contract for 2016/17 worth $1,050,961, unless the player is claimed off waivers by another club.

1:51pm: Having waived three players earlier today, the Rockets need to make one more cut to get down to 15 players, and it looks like the team might make a surprising move. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter), Houston plans to release Tyler Ennis. Charania cautions that the two sides could end up negotiating a new deal if and when Ennis clears waivers.

The 18th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Ennis was sent from Phoenix to Milwaukee at the 2015 trade deadline, then arrived in Houston last month when the Rockets acquired him in exchange for Michael Beasley. In 71 games for the Bucks, Ennis averaged just 4.1 PPG and 2.1 APG in 13.5 minutes per contest. The 22-year-old is owed a guaranteed $1.734MM salary for 2016/17.

Considering Ennis was on a guaranteed salary for 2016/17, waiving him in order to sign him to a new deal would be an unusual move for Houston. However, if they keep him, the Rockets would need to decide within a week whether or not to exercise Ennis’ $2.667MM option for 2017/18. Signing the former Buck to a new two-year, minimum-salary deal could make him more affordable for next year, even if the Rockets would be paying him more this year.

We’ll wait to see what the Rockets have planned, but if Ennis is cut and isn’t immediately re-signed, it may open the door for both Kyle Wiltjer and Bobby Brown to make the team’s 15-man roster. Before waiving Ennis, Houston’s roster count sits at 16.

Rockets Waive Gary Payton II, P.J. Hairston

October 24th, 2016 at 10:47am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets are trimming their roster to 15 players in advance of today’s cutdown deadline, and have made three moves so far, according to various reports. Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle tweets that the team has waived rookie guard Gary Payton II, while Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News tweets that camp invitees P.J. Hairston and Le’Bryan Nash have also been cut.

Hairston and Nash are likely ticketed for the Rockets’ D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, having been on non-guaranteed contracts. Payton could also ultimately land in Rio Grande, but his case isn’t quite as clear, since he had been on a guaranteed salary for 2016/17, giving him a little more flexibility for his next move.

With Payton, Hairston, and Nash out of the mix for a roster spots, the Rockets are now carrying 16 players, and will need to make one more cut. Tyler Ennis, recently acquired in a trade with Milwaukee, is probably safe, which would leave Bobby Brown and Kyle Wiltjer battling for the 15th and final roster spot. Neither player has a fully guaranteed deal, but Wiltjer received a sizable partial guarantee of $275K from Houston.

The Rockets figure to announce their final cut – and confirm their other moves – in a press release later today.

And-Ones: Roster Moves, Bulls, Rudez, Onuaku

October 23rd, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Monday afternoon is the deadline to reach the roster limit of 15, and nine teams still have cuts to make, tweets salary cap expert Albert Nahmad. The Celtics, Cavaliers, Rockets, Lakers, Pelicans, Thunder, Sixers, Suns and Kings all remain over the limit leading into what should be an eventful day, says Nahmad. By our count, the Grizzlies still have a move to make as well. The Pacers were the latest team to trim their roster, waiving Jeremy Evans and Julyan Stone tonight.

There’s more news from around the NBA:

J.J. Avila, who was waived Friday by the Bulls, has agreed to play for Chicago’s D-League affiliate, tweets Dennis Silva II of Monitor News. The 6’8″ power forward from Colorado State signed a training camp contract with Chicago in September. Guard Thomas Walkup of Stephen F. Austin, another Friday cut, will also be joining the Windy City Bulls (Twitter link).
Damjan Rudez and Arinze Onuaku both traveled a lot of miles to realize their dream of returning to the NBA, writes John Denton of NBA.com. After playing overseas and in the D-League, both veterans were told Saturday that they had earned a place on the Magic’s final roster. “It was a big blessing,” Onuaka said. “When you are out here fighting for a spot every day it’s stressful and to get that news, it was great. You’ve always got to wait to hear if you’re in or you’re out, so it wasn’t easy sleeping at night.’’
Fred VanVleet won the Raptors‘ final roster spot, but coach Dwane Casey said all the training camp invitees were impressive, tweets Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. Casey said Drew Crawford and Brady Heslip have the talent to be NBA players, adding that he was disappointed he didn’t have room to keep all of them.

Rockets Starting Season Without Beverley, Motiejunas

October 23rd, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets are preparing to start the season without point guard Patrick Beverley and power forward Donatas Motiejunas, posts Calvin Watkins on ESPN Now. Beverley will have surgery Tuesday on his injured left knee and is expected to be out of action four to six weeks. Motiejunas is a restricted free agent and remains unsigned three days before the team’s opener. “Taking two guys who can play 60 minutes, 30 each, who aren’t here, it’s going to have an impact,” said Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni.

Rockets To Sign Le’Bryan Nash

October 22nd, 2016 at 6:28pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Rockets have signed Le’Bryan Nash, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Nash is expected to play for the team’s D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Nash was a top-10 recruit coming out of high school and while he did win the Big-12 Freshman of the Year award, he never looked the part of a future NBA star during his four seasons at the Oklahoma State University. The small forward averaged 14.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game as a Cowboy.

He was not selected in the 2015 draft and opted to play overseas in the Basketball Japan League, averaging 26.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 assist per game. During the offseason, he played for the Bucks’ summer league team.

Patrick Beverley To Undergo Surgery

October 22nd, 2016 at 9:14am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Rockets will lose starting point guard Patrick Beverley for at least three weeks as the player will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. The procedure is scheduled for early next week, Wojnarowski adds. Coach Mike D’Antoni was a touch more pessimistic in his prognosis, telling Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com that he expects to be without the guard for at least 20 games. If Beverley is indeed in street clothes for 20 contests, that projects to a return the first week of December.

Beverley has only appeared in one preseason game for the team this season as a result of the injury. A report last week from Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders suggested that the injury wasn’t too severe and that team doctors weren’t quite sure what the exact issue with Beverley’s knee was. The player then sought a second opinion and the result was surgery being recommended.

The loss of Beverley means that James Harden will slide over to the point guard spot and offseason signee Eric Gordon, who has an extensive history of injuries throughout his career, will be inserted into the starting lineup at shooting guard. Beverley, 28, averaged 9.9 points, 3.4 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game in 2015/16 for the Rockets. Houston will certainly miss his tenacious defense during his absence, an area the team is already weak in, even when Beverley was in the lineup.