Rockets To Cut D.J. Augustin, Armoni Brooks
To carve out roster room to complete their one-for-three trade with Boston, the Rockets will waive reserve guards D.J. Augustin and Armoni Brooks, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Earlier this week, aware that his days in Houston might be limited, Augustin expressed an interest in remaining on the Rockets roster through the trade deadline, despite his awareness that the Rockets would be prioritizing the development of their younger players. The 5’11” point guard, a 14-year NBA veteran, averaged 5.4 PPG, 2.2 APG and 1.2 RPG across 15.0 in 34 contests with Houston this season.
The 23-year-old Brooks, a second-year player out of the University of Houston, also never carved out major minutes with the Rockets this year. The 6’3″ shooting guard averaged 16.8 MPG in 41 games this year. He scored 6.2 PPG on 34.7% field goal shooting, and also chipped in 2.0 RPG and 1.2 APG.
Brooks saw a far more robust role with the Rockets during his rookie season, albeit in just 20 games as a two-way contract signing. He averaged 11.2 PPG on 40.6% field goal shooting for the Rockets, along with 3.4 RPG and 1.5 APG.
Augustin’s $7.33MM salary for next season was partially guaranteed, but only for $333K. None of the remaining three years on Brooks’ contract beyond this season included guaranteed money.
Augustin and Brooks will become free agents on Saturday if they’re not claimed on waivers. Augustin could be a popular target for playoff teams looking to add backcourt depth.
COVID-19 Updates: Whiteside, Adams, Barton, Hornets, Spurs, More
Jazz center Hassan Whiteside has entered the league’s health and safety protocols, per Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter). Utah’s frontcourt depth is extremely depleted; in addition to Whiteside, Rudy Gobert, Rudy Gay, and Udoka Azubuike are all in the protocols, while 10-day hardship signee Norvel Pelle is out Wednesday against Cleveland with a non-COVID illness, Walden tweets. Whiteside is now the sixth Jazz player currently in the protocols.
Here are more COVID-related updates from around the NBA:
- Grizzlies center Steven Adams is listed as questionable with a non-COVID illness for Thursday’s contest against Minnesota, Memphis’ PR department tweets, so he has cleared the protocols.
- The Nuggets received two pieces of good news, as Will Barton has exited the COVID-19 protocols and Markus Howard, who was supposed to be sidelined at least six weeks with a sprained knee, is listed as questionable for Thursday’s contest against Portland, per Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (Twitter link). Howard has missed the past four weeks.
- The news out of Charlotte is a mixed bag, as Vernon Carey Jr. has cleared the protocols, but rookie big man Kai Jones has entered for the Hornets, per the team’s PR department (Twitter links).
- Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell have cleared the protocols for the Spurs and are available Wednesday night against Houston, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News tweets.
- Bucks guard Grayson Allen said he was fortunate to have an asymptomatic case of COVID-19 and will be available Thursday against the Warriors, according to Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link). Allen also mentioned that the time away helped him recover from the flu.
- Rockets guard Armoni Brooks has cleared the health and safety protocols and is available Wednesday against the Spurs, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
COVID-19 Updates: Gay, Hughes, Harrell, Hachimura, Winslow, Waters, Brooks
Jazz forwards Rudy Gay and Elijah Hughes have entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the team announced on social media (Twitter link). They join Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles as players in protocols for Utah.
All four players will miss the team’s game against the Pistons on Monday. Two-way player Malik Fitts will also be sidelined due to a right wrist injury, meaning Utah will be without five players for the contest. According to our tracker, nearly 50 players are currently in the NBA’s protocols.
Here are some other COVID-related notes from around the league:
- Wizards big man Montrezl Harrell has exited the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). Harrell still won’t play when the team faces Orlando on Sunday. In addition, third-year player Rui Hachimura is expected to make his season debut against the Magic, Robbins notes in a separate tweet.
- Clippers forward Justise Winslow has also entered the protocols, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles times tweets. Winslow joins Luke Kennard as Clippers players who are sidelined due to the virus, as Xavier Moon has exited the protocols.
- Wizards guard Tremont Waters has exited the protocols, according to the league’s official injury report. Waters inked a 10-day contract with the team on January 1.
- The Rockets are listing guard Armoni Brooks as out in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Brooks returned to the lineup on Friday after missing a week due to the protocols, Feigen notes.
COVID-19 Updates: Pacers, Kidd, Fultz, Tre Jones, Daigneault, A. Brooks
Justin Anderson and Torrey Craig have become the latest Pacers players to enter the league’s health and safety protocols, per James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star (via Twitter). The Pacers now have six players in protocols. Craig signed a two-year, $10MM deal with Indiana last summer, while Anderson just signed a 10-day hardship contract with the team last week.
On the bright side, Pacers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce has cleared the protocols and has returned to the team, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files.
Here are some more COVID-related updates:
- Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has entered the protocols, with assistant coach Sean Sweeney set to take over his duties Friday night in Houston, sources tell Marc Stein of Substack (Twitter link). Kidd is the 13th head coach to enter the protocols.
- Markelle Fultz isn’t ready to return from his torn ACL yet, but he has exited the protocols for the Magic, according to Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter).
- The Spurs‘ outbreak continues, with Tre Jones being the sixth player currently in the protocols, tweets Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.
- Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has cleared the protocols and will resume his duties Friday vs. Minnesota, the team tweets.
- Rockets guard Armoni Brooks has exited the protocols and is listed as available for Friday’s game against the Mavs, as Mark Berman of Fox 26 (KRIV) relays (Twitter link).
COVID-19 Updates: Green, Anderson, Butler, Satoransky, Nesmith, Gill, Brooks
Warriors star Draymond Green has cleared the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated (Twitter link). He’s expected to play in Monday’s game against Miami.
Green missed two games due to protocols, including Golden State’s road contest against Utah on Saturday. The Warriors still ended up winning 123-116 and currently own the league’s best record at 28-7.
Here are some other COVID-19 updates from around the association:
- Grizzlies forward Kyle Anderson has entered the league’s health and safety protocols, the team announced on social media (Twitter link). Anderson joins Shaq Buchanan, Dillon Brooks, John Konchar, De’Anthony Melton and Xavier Tillman as Grizzlies players in protocols.
- The Heat have its entire coaching staff back for Sunday’s game, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets. Assistant coach Caron Butler was previously in the health and safety protocols.
- The Pelicans have added guard Tomas Satoransky to the league’s protocols, Andrew Lopez of ESPN tweets. New Orleans is also listing center Jonas Valanciunas (protocols) as questionable to play on Monday against the Jazz.
- Celtics guard Aaron Nesmith has re-entered the protocols, head coach Ime Udoka said, as relayed by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps (Twitter link). Nesmith briefly exited the protocols before being placed back into them, Udoka added.
- The Wizards are listing Anthony Gill in the protocols, as relayed by the team on social media (Twitter link). Gill logged nearly 25 minutes in the team’s loss to Chicago on Saturday, recording nine points, three rebounds and three steals.
- Rockets guard Armoni Brooks has entered the protocols, Ben DuBose of The Rockets Wire relays (via Twitter). DuBose also notes that Garrison Mathews and D.J. Augustin are no longer on the team’s injury report, meaning both players likely cleared health and safety protocols.
Rockets Notes: Wood, Shooters, Christopher, Green
Rockets big man Christian Wood thinks the team’s impressive turnaround is for real, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. The Rockets started the season 1-16, but had won seven in a row prior to Friday’s 123-114 loss to the Bucks. Wood admits he wasn’t necessarily expecting the winning streak, but believes in the team.
“A little surprising, but we’ve always believed,” Wood told ESPN on Friday. “We’ve always stayed together and always had that team chemistry. We know that we’re better than a 1-16 record and better than what we were showing. We never put our heads down. We just stayed together.
“I believe it’s real. Especially with Jalen Green being out, which is a key piece, points that [would be] on the board that are not. We’re still managing to win games. And with Kevin Porter Jr. out. I think we’re even better than we’re showing. We’re just clicking.”
The two young guards are sidelined with hamstring and thigh injuries, respectively.
Here’s more from Houston:
- The Rockets have benefited from excellent shooting from players like Eric Gordon, Garrison Mathews, and Armoni Brooks of late, Rahat Huq of The Houston Chronicle writes. Gordon has even been taking some mid-range shots, a relic of the past in Houston with its analytically driven approach. The shooting and ball movement has led to better spacing for the entire team, Huq notes.
- Ethan Fuller of BasketballNews.com writes that the Rockets have been successful with an unlikely group of heroes. He mentions Mathews, Brooks, and Jae’Sean Tate as being particularly noteworthy.
- Josh Christopher, the 24th overall pick of the 2021 draft, had a breakout performance on his 20th birthday on Wednesday, notes Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Iko takes an in-depth look at Christopher’s development, stating that stints in the G League have been beneficial for the young rookie.
- Green says he’s “making good progress” in his recovery, but there’s still no timeline for his return, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.
Rockets Sign Armoni Brooks To Four-Year Deal
12:21pm: The Rockets have officially signed Brooks to a multiyear contract, the team announced today in a press release. The club also confirmed the previously-reported signing of guard Marcus Foster.
According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link), Brooks’ four-year deal can be worth up to $7.2MM. That means it’s a minimum-salary contract, which would have a four-year value of $7,201,486. The second and third years are non-guaranteed with July trigger dates, while the fourth year is a team option, says Iko.
11:10am: The Rockets are signing guard Armoni Brooks to a four-year contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The first-year salary will be guaranteed, with trigger dates for each season after that, Wojnarowski reports.
Brooks, 23, appeared in 20 games for the Rockets in 2020/21, averaging 11.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 1.5 APG with a shooting line of .406/.382/.583 in 26.0 minutes per contest. The former Houston Cougar had previously played in the G League since going undrafted in 2019.
After reaching free agency this offseason, Brooks re-signed with the Rockets on an Exhibit 10 contract, which the team converted to a two-way contract on Wednesday. Houston wouldn’t have been able to turn Brooks’ one-year Exhibit 10 contract into a four-year deal directly, but moving him to a two-way slot opened the door for the two sides to negotiate a new multiyear contract. The club will use part of its mid-level exception to complete the signing.
The move will create a bit of a roster crunch for the Rockets, since they already had 15 players on guaranteed contracts. John Wall, who technically remains with the team but isn’t expected to play in any games, is the most expendable player on the roster, but there hasn’t been any indication that a trade or buyout is close. Dante Exum could also be at risk — half of his $5MM cap hit consists of incentives that the club wouldn’t have to pay if Exum is cut.
Moving Brooks back to the standard roster will also open up a two-way slot for the Rockets. If former two-way player Tyler Bey clears waivers, perhaps he could return on a new deal. Camp invitee Daishen Nix is also a candidate to have his Exhibit 10 deal converted to a two-way pact.
Rockets Convert Armoni Brooks To Two-Way Contract, Waive Tyler Bey
The Rockets are converting the contract of three-point shooting specialist Armoni Brooks to a two-way deal, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The move is official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. To make room, Houston has waived Tyler Bey, who was occupying one of the team’s two-way slots.
Brooks has been a consistent weapon all preseason, averaging 10 points per game and shooting 56.2% from the field. He poured in 15 points in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game at Toronto. Brooks signed a two-way deal with Houston in April and averaged 11.2 PPG over the final 20 games of the season.
Bey signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Rockets in August, then was waived September 18 when Houston re-signed Dante Exum. He was brought back on a two-way deal eight days later. Bey, who was with the Mavericks last season, saw action in just one of Houston’s preseason games.
The Rockets will also sign former EuroLeague guard Marcus Foster, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The 26-year-old played for both Panathinaikos and Turk Telekom Ankaran last season.
Rockets Sign Armoni Brooks To Exhibit 10 Contract
5:38pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
12:41pm: The Rockets are signing guard Armoni Brooks to an Exhibit 10 contract, a source confirmed to Hoops Rumors. News of the agreement was first reported by Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
Brooks, 23, will have the opportunity to make the team’s regular-season roster in training camp this fall. He spent 20 games with the club at the end of last season, averaging 11.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
The Rockets have one final spot for camp and could consider adding Anthony Lamb, who signed a two-way contract with the team last March. Both Brooks and Lamb played summer league with Houston in Las Vegas after receiving two-way qualifying offers.
Should Brooks not make the regular-season roster, he’d be eligible to receive a bonus up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with Houston’s G League affiliate.
Western Notes: Hughes, Brooks, Rockets, Lewis Jr., Jones
Jazz guard Elijah Hughes is concentrating on his defense during the team’s summer league play this month, as relayed by Sarah Todd of the Deseret News. Hughes is in the midst of his first-ever summer league stint with the franchise.
“The typical Syracuse stigma is that guys don’t play defense and guys can’t guard, so I want to break that stigma,” Hughes explained. “Also I have a lot of pride. I want to hold my own. If people are trying to get me on switches, I want to be able to hold my own.”
Hughes, 23, was drafted with the No. 39 overall pick last December and is under contract entering next season. He appeared in 18 games this past season, albeit for a total of 64 minutes.
“Eli has a big body, and for him it’s learning to play angles defensively,” Jazz summer league coach Bryan Bailey said. “If he continues to learn to play angles and cut guys off with his size, he’ll be a good defender.”
Here are some other notes from the Western Conference tonight:
- Rockets guard Armoni Brooks has returned from the league’s health and safety protocols, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. Brooks is playing summer league with Houston, coming off a strong 20-game stint with the team last season.
- The Rockets‘ rookies have brought a breath of fresh air this month, Feigen writes in a separate article for the Houston Chronicle. The team’s rookie class is led by No. 2 pick Jalen Green, who had an impressive summer league stint before getting shut down due to hamstring soreness.
- Christian Clark of NOLA.com examines the career paths of Kira Lewis Jr. and Herbert Jones, who are now teammates with the Pelicans. Lewis is coming off his rookie season, while Jones was drafted by New Orleans with the No. 35 pick last month.