Rockets Rumors

And-Ones: Gasol, D-League, Terry, Cousins

December 4th, 2015 at 10:21pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Bulls big man Pau Gasol, who possesses a player option worth $7,769,520 for 2016/17, has said that he’s leaning toward opting out, but he did note that he would like to remain in Chicago beyond this season, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com relays. Responding to whether or not he’d like to stay with the Bulls, Gasol said, “Yes, of course. But when the time comes we’ll evaluate it. I’ll see how the season went. Where are the team’s interests, where are my interests, what options do I have? But most important is for me and the team to focus on what we have this season to make the best out of it and give ourselves a chance to win the title.”

Gasol was also asked if he missed anything about former head coach Tom Thibodeau and told Friedell, “I appreciated a lot of things that Thibs brought to the table. I think his intensity. Sometimes it could be a little bit overwhelming. I think [I miss most] his intensity and his passion and dedication for the game.” The veteran also noted that he appreciates the freedom and versatility of coach Fred Hoiberg‘s system, the ESPN scribe adds.

Here’s more from around the league:

Jason Terry, who re-signed with the Rockets this past offseason, said he planned to join the Mavericks along with DeAndre Jordan, but Terry’s plans changed when Jordan decided to return to the Clippers, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News relays. “For me it was like a package deal,” Terry said. “If he [Jordan] came, I definitely was coming. Because that automatically made us a contender.” Terry also noted that he was shocked when Jordan reversed course and backed out of his verbal agreement with Dallas, Townsend adds. “When that happened, I kind of pushed the reset button,” Terry said. “Because I didn’t want to start over. I don’t want to be in a rebuilding phase. I don’t know if Dallas, at the time, knew if they were rebuilding or were they retooling. They were trying to see what was out there.“
The Spurs have sent Boban Marjanovic and Ray McCallum to their D-League Affiliate in Austin, the team announced. This is the first D-League assignment of the season for both players.
The Rockets have assigned swingman K.J. McDaniels to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This is the second D-League trip of the season for McDaniels, as our assignments and recalls tracker illustrates.
Kings coach George Karl believes that despite the rumored difficulties between he and center DeMarcus Cousins, the big man wants to remain in Sacramento, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets.
James Ennis has been assigned by the Grizzlies to their D-League affiliate in Iowa, the team announced.
The Clippers have assigned Branden Dawson to the D-League, and since the team does not have its own affiliate, Dawson will report to the Pistons’ squad in Grand Rapids, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times tweets.

2016/17 Salary Cap Projection: Houston Rockets

December 4th, 2015 at 9:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 has been set at $70MM, which is an 11% increase from last season, and the luxury tax line is fixed at $84.74MM. The last cap projection from the league prior to the official numbers being announced had been $67.1MM, and the projection for the tax line had been $81.6MM. Many league executives and agents believe that the salary cap will escalate to a whopping $95MM for 2016/17, a higher figure than the league’s last projection of $89MM. This significant bump is a result of the league’s new $24 billion TV deal that kicks in just in time for next season.

The increase in the salary cap will almost assuredly set off a flurry of activity in the free agent market next summer, and it will also make it easier than ever for teams to deal away their higher-priced stars. Prudent executives are acutely aware of exactly how much cap room they have to play with, not just for the current campaign, but for next season and beyond as well. While the exact amount of 2016/17’s salary cap won’t be announced until next summer, it always pays to know just how much salary is on the books for each franchise. With this in mind, we at Hoops Rumors will be breaking down the projected 2016/17 financial commitments for each franchise, and we’ll continue onward with a look at the Houston Rockets:

Fully Guaranteed Salary Commitments: $68,880,765*
Partially Guaranteed Salary Commitments: $0
Non Guaranteed Salary Commitments: $13,213,482
Total Projected Salary Cap Commitments: $82,094,247

*Note: This amount includes Dwight Howard‘s player option worth $23,282,457

If the salary cap were to fall in line with the projection of $89MM, Houston would have approximately $6,905,753 in cap space, or $12,905,753 if the cap were to be set at the higher mark of $95MM. Again, these are merely predictions until the exact cap amounts are announced, and they are not meant to illustrate the exact amount that the team will have available to spend this coming offseason.

Houston will also need to make decisions regarding Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas, both of whom are eligible to become restricted free agents next summer. If the Rockets wish to retain the right to match any offer sheets these players were to receive the team would need to submit qualifying offers, with Jones’ being worth $3,532,643 and $3,278,998 for Motiejunas. This would increase the team’s projected cap commitments by a total of $6,811,641, though that number would merely be a place holder until the players either inked new deals or signed their qualifying offers, which would then set them up for unrestricted free agency the following offseason.

Trades and long-term free agent signings made during the season will also have a significant impact on the figures above, and we’ll be updating these posts to reflect the new numbers after any signings and trades have been made official.

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Western Notes: Gobert, Lawson, Lieberman

December 2nd, 2015 at 7:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Rudy Gobert is out indefinitely after suffering Grade II sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during practice today, the Jazz announced, and history suggests he’ll miss more than a month. Marc Gasol missed a month and a half when he suffered the same injury two years ago, notes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter links). It took Greg Stiemsma about the same length of time to come back from his Grade II MCL sprain in 2013, notes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). That doesn’t necessarily mean Gobert is out that long, but with Jazz D-Leaguer Jack Cooley reportedly having just agreed to play in Spain, the timing of Gobert’s injury is poor, and Falk doesn’t expect the team to make a move in the immediate future (Twitter link). See more from the Western Conference:

The Rockets aren’t looking into deals for Ty Lawson, even though teams think they’ll be able to trade for him on the cheap, sources tell Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links). Kyler believes the Rockets are interested in a change of some sort but hears that the focus isn’t on Lawson. The offseason trade acquisition indicated today that he’s on board with his reserve role, one he’s been in since J.B. Bickerstaff removed him from the starting lineup in his first game as interim coach, notes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). “It’s just whatever coach wants me to do, what the team needs me to do, I’m doing it,” Lawson said.
Kings assistant Nancy Lieberman believes her hiring as the NBA’s second female full-time assistant coach was necessary to maintain the momentum created when the Spurs made Becky Hammon the first, as Lieberman writes in The Players’ Tribune. She didn’t address a report that she would be owner Vivek Ranadive’s choice to become interim head coach in the event the Kings fire George Karl, but she did talk about the bond she’s quickly formed with the players. “DeMarcus Cousins has been one of the most amazing young men from the time I met him in Vegas,” Lieberman wrote. “He just gave me this big old hug and said, ‘We’re happy you’re here.'”
The 2015 draft class is proving unexpectedly productive and deep, but No. 1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns of the Timberwolves remains the leader for Rookie of the Year honors, argues Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post.

Atlantic Notes: Scola, Okafor, Wood, Early

December 2nd, 2015 at 11:02am CST by Chuck Myron

Luis Scola harked back to his Rockets days as he added an effective 3-point shot to his repertoire for this season, telling Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today that the difference is that he’s allowed the shot to come natually to him, unlike his attempts to add the long-range look in the past. Scola is one of several big men around the league who are extending their range, as Zillgitt examines, and it’s added value to the one-year, $2.9MM deal Scola signed with the Raptors in the summer.

“Houston loves analytics and is big on that. I tried to learn from them a lot,” Scola said. “They planted that seed and said, ‘You’ve got to do this if you want to move forward with the NBA.’”

See more from the Atlantic Division:

TMZ Sports obtained a video that depicts second altercation involving Jahlil Okafor on November 25th, the same night he was allegedly involved in a fight with a heckler outside a Boston nightclub. Boston police officials told TMZ that charges are likely to be filed. The Sixers will provide Okafor with a bodyguard going forward, coach Brett Brown said Tuesday, clearing up some confusion from earlier.
Neither the Sixers nor their D-League affiliate formally announced the move, but the Sixers assigned Christian Wood to their D-League affiliate Tuesday and recalled him later in the day, according to the D-League. Philly sent the rookie down so he could practice with the D-League team, the Delaware 87ers said, according to Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (Twitter link).
The Knicks assigned Cleanthony Early to their D-League affiliate today, the team announced (on Twitter). New York had just recalled Early on Monday, and the plan is for him to again rejoin the NBA squad in time for tonight’s game, tweets Marc Berman of the New York Post.

And-Ones: Karl, Rondo, Thibodeau, Dunn

December 1st, 2015 at 10:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kings coach George Karl met last week with Rajon Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins at the players’ request, and all parties describe the interaction as being extremely positive, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reports. “It was a powerful meeting for all three of us,” Rondo told Spears. “We asked him to just sit with us so we can pick his brain and share our thoughts. What I love about [Karl] is he’s very open. George is not a dictator. ‘What can we do positively? What can we do to improve?’ If you can come into a meeting with no egos and everyone was humble, it just works out for the better.”

Rondo is also trying to impart some of the wisdom he received from former teammate Kevin Garnett to Cousins, Spears adds. When discussing the tirade Cousins unleashed upon Karl a few weeks ago, Rondo told the big man, “There is always a time and place. “[Cousins] saying what he was saying in front of the team. … The concept of what he was saying may not have been wrong, it’s just the delivery. I’ve had a lot of blowups and I’ve learned from them. I told him, ‘You’re wrong on how you did it. Your [message] might be right, but that’s when you go in his office and talk to him.’”

Here’s more from around the league:

Despite Rondo being eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after the season ends, Cousins expects the point guard to re-sign with the Kings and remain in Sacramento, Spears also relays in the same piece. “He ain’t going nowhere. I will kidnap him myself,” Cousins told Spears.
The Rockets must make a run at former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau this offseason if the franchise hopes to maximize the roster’s potential, opines Chris Mannix of SI.com. Despite the obvious questions regarding how well Thibodeau’s coaching style would mesh with James Harden and Dwight Howard, the team needs a change of direction, especially on the defensive side, Mannix notes.
Providence senior point guard Kris Dunn is solidifying himself as a potential top 10 selection in the 2016 NBA draft, with some scouts noting that Dunn belongs in the top five, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes. The biggest knock on Dunn is his age, 21, which potentially lowers his ceiling in relation to some of the younger players who will be available, but Dunn’s maturity level could be seen as a positive by some NBA executives, Kennedy adds. Dunn is currently ranked as the No. 7 prospect overall by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.

Southwest Notes: Matthews, Lawson, Anderson

December 1st, 2015 at 11:44am CST by Chuck Myron

Wesley Matthews was initially bitter that the Trail Blazers didn’t make him an offer this past summer, but he now understands how GM Neil Olshey and company saw his future with Portland as having been inextricably tied to LaMarcus Aldridge‘s, as Jason Quick of CSNNW.com details. Matthews told Quick he already feels at home in Dallas and is secure in his decision to join the Mavericks, and while his former coach is surprised at how quickly he returned from last spring’s Achilles injury, he thinks it makes sense that Matthews has found the Mavs to his liking.

“Other than staying in Portland, he couldn’t have found a better situation,’’ Blazers coach Terry Stotts said to Quick. “I’m really pleased that everything worked out so well for him, because he deserves it.’’

See more from around the Southwest Division:

Opposing teams believe they’ll be able to trade for Ty Lawson on the cheap, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. The Rockets, who have a record of 7-11, have been “sniffing around” for deals, Kyler adds, though it’s not entirely clear whether they’ve had discussions about Lawson, who gave up the guarantee on his salary of more than $13.213MM next season to facilitate the swap that sent him to Houston this past summer.
Ryan Anderson‘s name surfaces more often than any other Pelicans player in Kyler’s conversations with sources, but sources close to the team told Kyler that the organization places a remarkably high value on Anderson and that it would take a “monster offer” for New Orleans to think about parting with him.
It took a while for Matt Barnes‘ offense to catch up with his defense, but the Grizzlies‘ offseason trade acquisition is clicking on both ends thanks to the team’s swifter pace, increased motion and open minutes at power forward, observes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Barnes and coach Dave Joerger appear confident the 35-year-old will continue to flourish even with Zach Randolph back from a five-game absence. “Small ball is where the league is headed. We still have one of the best power forwards in the game,” Barnes said. “[Randolph] is old-school, so we just have to mix small ball in with what this team is accustomed to and what they made their name on. It’s been a learning curve for all of us, but we’re getting the hang of it.”

Trade Exceptions Set To Expire For Three Teams

November 30th, 2015 at 3:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

Trade activity should perk up around the league as December 15th, the date when most (but not all) offseason signees become eligible to be traded. Three teams have extra motivation to make a trade within the next three weeks.

That’s because they have trade exceptions that are about to expire. The Nets have the most sizable among those exceptions, and they face the most urgent deadline. Their exception worth more than $3.3MM, a vestige of the trade that sent Andrei Kirilenko to the Sixers last year, expires December 11th, four days before dozens of players will become trade-eligible. That puts Brooklyn in a tough spot, and the team’s position within $2MM of the $84.74MM tax line makes it even harder to envision the Nets using the exception. Still, it’s a tool the team has to facilitate more complicated trades that would add a negligible amount of salary or even reduce the payroll, and as the Grizzlies and Heat showed this month, it’s not impossible to work a multiplayer trade before December 15th.

It’s more conceivable that the Timberwolves will use the exception they have left over from trading Corey Brewer to the Rockets last year, in part because they have until December 19th to do so. Minnesota already used it once, to absorb Adreian Payne‘s salary from the Hawks, so what once was an exception of nearly $4.703MM is now worth only about $2.847MM. It’s still sizable enough to give the Timberwolves an enticing mechanism to add another piece to their sizable collection of recent former first-round picks or to supplement that group with a veteran who can help them maintain their strong early-season play. Minnesota is 8-9 and tied with the Suns for eighth place in the Western Conference. The team also has a $350K trade exception left over from shipping an injured Ronny Turiaf to the Sixers in the Brewer trade, but it’s so small that it’s virtually unusable.

Brooklyn has a smaller exception available, too, though the $816,482 exception the Nets have for sending Jorge Gutierrez to the Sixers in the Kirilenko trade is somewhat more valuable than Minnesota’s Turiaf exception. It’s worth less than this season’s one-year veteran’s minimum salary, but teams are allowed to trade for players making up to $100K more than the value of an exception, so a deal for a player making the one-year veteran’s minimum of $845,059 would work. Of course, the Nets could simply use the minimum salary exception for a player making that amount, but the trade exception is valuable in case the player they want to trade for is on a contract that extends beyond two seasons, as is often the case with players signed as second-round picks. The minimum salary exception only accommodates one- and two-year deals, while trade exceptions carry no such restriction. Just this month, the Grizzlies used a trade exception of similar size left over from the Jon Leuer deal to take on James Ennis, who’s making the minimum on a three-year contract.

The Rockets are in much the same position with the $816,482 exception they created as part of the Brewer trade with Minnesota. Struggling 7-10 Houston could use a shakeup, but with less than $2MM left against the team’s $88.74MM hard cap, the Rockets must tread carefully. Still, the addition of a player making less than $1MM would work, and the Rockets have an open roster spot to play with.

Here’s a look at each of the trade exceptions set to expire in December:

Nets

Amount: $3,326,235
Obtained: Andrei Kirilenko (Sixers)
Expires: 12/11/15

Amount: $816,482
Obtained: Jorge Gutierrez (Sixers)
Expires: 12/11/15

Rockets

Amount: $816,482
Obtained: Troy Daniels (Timberwolves)
Expires: 12/19/15

Timberwolves

Amount: $2,847,180
Obtained: Corey Brewer (Rockets)
Initial amount: $4,702,500
Used: Adreian Payne ($1,855,320)
Expires: 12/19/15

Amount: $350,500
Obtained: Ronny Turiaf (Sixers)
Initial amount: $1,500,000
Used: Damjan Rudez ($1,149,500)
Expires: 12/19/15

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Texas Notes: Matthews, Bickerstaff, Durant

November 29th, 2015 at 12:53pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Over the past few seasons, offense has been a major element in the Mavs‘ identity, but new addition Wes Matthews is helping to change the team’s perception, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. “We’ve had a spike in our defensive numbers,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “[Matthews] has been a significant part of that.”

Carlisle has had Matthews guard the opposing team’s best wing player on a nightly basis, but the shooting guard has also been asked to cover opposing big men at times. The 29-year-old’s versatility hasn’t gone unnoticed by his new teammates. “Wes is our go-to guy on defense,” said Dirk Nowitzki. “He can guard multiple positions. He’s just a fighter. We’ll live with him on the opposing best player all day.”

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

Interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff is making bold moves, like pairing Clint Capela and Dwight Howard in the starting lineup, and the team is embracing the changes, Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle writes. “I just want to win,” Howard said. “The coaching staff is putting together the right guys with each other to make that happen.”
The Rockets will no doubt attempt to bring Kevin Durant aboard next summer, but with the current state of the franchise, Fran Blinebury of NBA.com wonders if Houston has any chance of landing the former MVP. Blinebury believes that if Durant is going to join the team, Bickerstaff needs to first mend the dysfunctional relationship between Howard and James Harden.

And-Ones: Gortat, Pelicans, Matthews, Hammon

November 28th, 2015 at 10:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Marcin Gortat blasted the negativity surrounding the Wizards following tonight’s last-second loss to the Raptors, tweets J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. Gortat says the poor atmosphere has taken the fun out of coming to the arena. This isn’t the first time this season that the center has talked about being unhappy. Two weeks ago, he complained about being publicly criticized by coach Randy Wittman following a loss to the Thunder. Gortat is still committed to Washington for four more seasons on the $60MM contract he signed in 2014.

There’s more from around the world of basketball:

Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry says Tyreke Evans and Norris Cole could make their season debuts Tuesday, tweets John Reid of The Times-Picayune. Evans underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in October, and Cole is recovering from a high ankle sprain.
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle credits offseason addition Wesley Matthews for the team’s improvement on defense, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Carlisle says the former Blazer’s size and versatility have made a difference on that end of the floor.
Assistant coach Becky Hammon is playing an active role on the Spurs‘ bench, writes Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. During a second-quarter timeout in tonight’s win over the Hawks, Vivlamore watched San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich step back and let Hammon run the huddle and diagram a play.
Brook Lopez‘s decision to sign a new three-year contract with the Nets tops a list of questionable moves compiled by Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. Even though he got $63MM in the deal, Lopez is locked into a terrible team during the prime years of his career. Also on Aschburner’s list are Jahlil Okafor‘s missed opportunity to tell the Sixers not to draft him, Pau Gasol‘s choice to come to the Bulls in 2014 when he could have gone to the Spurs, the Clippers‘ offseason acquisitions and Josh Smith‘s decision to leave the Rockets for L.A.

Offseason In Review: Houston Rockets

November 28th, 2015 at 7:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team’s offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees and more will be covered as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Patrick Beverley: Four years, $23MM. Signed via Bird rights. Fourth year is non-guaranteed.
Corey Brewer: Three years, $23.421MM. Signed via Early Bird rights.
K.J. McDaniels: Three years, $10MM. Signed via mid-level exception. Third year is a team option.
Marcus Thornton: One year, $1.186MM. Signed via minimum salary exception.
Jason Terry: One year, $1.499MM. Signed via minimum salary exception.

Extensions

None

Trades

Acquired Ty Lawson and Denver’s 2017 second round pick from the Nuggets in exchange for Joey Dorsey, Nick Johnson, Kostas Papanikolaou, Pablo Prigioni, Houston’s 2016 first round pick (lottery protected) and $440K. Lawson agreed to remove the full guarantee on his salary for 2016/17.

Waiver Claims

Arsalan Kazemi: Claimed from the Hawks. One year, $525K remaining. Non-guaranteed. Subsequently waived.

Draft Picks

Sam Dekker (Round 1, 18th overall). Signed via rookie scale exception to rookie scale contract.
Montrezl Harrell (Round 2, 32nd overall). Signed via mid-level exception for three years, $3.135MM.

Camp Invitees

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

Clint Capela (third year, $1,296,240) — Exercised

The Rockets were having a wonderful offseason until something went wrong — they started playing games.

Thomas B. Shea/USA TODAY Sports Images

After landing two projected first-round talents in the draft, re-signing nearly everyone from last year’s Western Conference finalists and dealing four spare parts for Ty Lawson, there were championship dreams in Houston. But the early-season reality has been far different. The Rockets have been plagued by a combination of poor shooting, poor defense and poor effort as they stumbled to an embarrassing start that led to the firing of coach Kevin McHale after 11 games.

“We just weren’t playing with any juice, with any rhythm,” McHale told Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle after the move was announced. “We haven’t been able to get the problems solved. We probably had more meetings in the last six weeks than in my previous four years here. It wasn’t working.”

But it was expected to work, especially after a summer that appeared to be successful in every phase. It started in late June with the draft, where the Rockets were pleasantly surprised with the two players who fell to them. Using the 18th overall pick, which they acquired from the Pelicans in the 2014 trade involving Omer Asik, Houston landed Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker, a 6’9″ sharpshooter out of Wisconsin who was ranked 20th by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and 16th by ESPN’s Chad Ford. With the second pick in the second round, acquired from the Knicks in a 2012 deal involving Marcus Camby, the Rockets selected Montrezl Harrell (ranked 24th by Givony, 17th by Ford), a bruising 6’8″ forward out of Louisville known for his tenacity and rebounding. Dekker is expected to be sidelined for about three months after undergoing back surgery November 20th, while Harrell has fallen out of the rotation lately but showed flashes of promise in early-season play.

“I’m very excited,” GM Daryl Morey said to Feigen after the draft. “We got two top-, top-, top-level winners in college on extremely good Wisconsin and Louisville teams.”

With their draft picks in hand, the Rockets set out to keep the core of last year’s Southwest Division champs. Point guard Patrick Beverley signed for $23MM over four years. Reserve swingman Corey Brewer received $23.4MM over three years. Reserve forward K.J. McDaniels, who saw little playing time after coming to Houston in a midseason trade with the Sixers, wound up with a three-year, $10MM deal in late July, and veteran guard Jason Terry, after considering an offer from the Pelicans, decided in late August to remain in Houston, agreeing to the veteran’s minimum of nearly $1.5MM for one year. The only rotation players from 2014/15 who didn’t return were Josh Smith, who accepted a veteran’s minimum contract with the Clippers, and Pablo Prigioni, who also joined the Clippers on a minimum deal after having been included in the Lawson trade and then having been waived by the Nuggets. The Rockets added one outside free agent in Marcus Thornton, who signed a one-year minimum-salary deal worth nearly $1.2MM in July.

Even with the success in other areas, the Lawson trade was supposed to be the centerpiece of the Rockets’ offseason. The seventh-year point guard averaged a career high in assists with 9.6 per game last season, and he was expected to be the second playmaker Houston needed to reduce the burden on James Harden. Not only did he seem like a perfect fit, but his price tag was low, brought down by off-court issues, like a pair of DUI arrests and skipping practice. In return, Houston sent Prigioni, Joey Dorsey, Kostas Papanikolaou, Nick Johnson, cash considerations and a protected draft pick to Denver. The Nuggets subsequently waived all four players.

In one of the conditions of the deal, the Rockets got Lawson to agree to make his $13.2MM salary for the 2016/17 season — the final year of his contract — non-guaranteed. It’s a decision that may limit his time in Houston to one season, or possibly less. The fit the Rockets envisioned hasn’t worked out, and Lawson’s early-season numbers are down in nearly every category. Through 16 games, he is averaging 7.0 points and 4.5 assists while shooting 36% from the floor and 25% from 3-point range. He was pulled from the starting lineup when the Rockets made their coaching change and may be in danger of falling out of the rotation altogether with Beverley returning from injury this week.

The Rockets are dealing with the disconnect between a seemingly successful offseason and a nightmarish November. They’re currently getting nothing from Dekker and Harrell, the players they re-signed over the summer are off to slow starts and the addition of Lawson has been a disaster. A roster shakeup may be necessary to give new coach J.B. Bickerstaff any chance at leading the team back to the playoffs, which means the work Morey did over the offseason may not be complete.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post. The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of it.

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