Rockets announce signings of big man Bruno Caboclo, three others

In Thursday’s release, Houston also confirmed its contracts with Jae’Sean Tate, Sterling Brown, and a two-way deal with rookie Mason Jones.

A day after Bruno Caboclo said he had a contract offer from the Houston Rockets, the 25-year-old big man has officially signed it.

“Caboclo (6-9, 218) was originally acquired via trade from Memphis on Feb. 6, 2020 and appeared in eight games for the Rockets over the remainder of the season,” the team said in its announcement. “The Brazilian native was the 20th overall pick by Toronto in the 2014 NBA Draft and has appeared in 99 career games. In 2018-19, Caboclo averaged career-highs of 8.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists for the Grizzlies.”

Financial terms weren’t disclosed by the team, but Caboclo said Wednesday that the contract was for two years at the NBA’s minimum salary, with the second (for the 2021-22 season) as a team option.

Caboclo, who is 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-7 wingspan, played only sparingly after being acquired by Houston at the February trade deadline. The athletic big man was also limited by a knee injury upon his arrival.

However, the Rockets did express optimism about his long-term future, and Caboclo could have a better opportunity to make an impact by being with the team at the outset of training camp. Caboclo should slot into the 2020-21 depth chart as a backup option in the frontcourt behind veterans such as Christian Wood, P.J. Tucker, and DeMarcus Cousins.

Caboclo shot 36.9% on 3-pointers in the 2018-19 season, and that form could make him useful as a “stretch big” in the five-out offense desired by new Houston coach Stephen Silas.

In addition to the signing of Caboclo, the Rockets also formalized their recent contract agreements with guard Sterling Brown, forward Jae’Sean Tate, and rookie guard Mason Jones (on a two-way deal).

As of midday Thursday, Cousins was the only remaining acquisition whose free agency agreement with the Rockets had yet to be made official. With training camp for the 2020-21 season set to begin next Tuesday, Dec. 1, all agreements should be finalized in relatively short order.

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