In news first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Houston Rockets on Tuesday agreed to trade Kevin Porter Jr. and two second-round draft picks to Oklahoma City for veteran guard Victor Oladipo and young big man Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.
Porter, who was recently arrested in New York for an alleged assault and strangulation against his girlfriend, will be immediately waived by the Thunder and appears unlikely to play in the NBA for the foreseeable future. For Oklahoma City, the trade’s incentive was solely the future second-round draft capital, which consists of a 2027 pick from Minnesota and a 2028 selection from Milwaukee.
For the Rockets, the primary incentive was maintaining something close to Porter’s salary figure ($15.9 million) to make matching math work in future trades. Oladipo will make $9.5 million this season.
Had the Rockets kept Porter on the roster beyond the 2023-24 preseason, he would have had $2 million more in guaranteed money owed for the 2024-25 season. Thus, the end of this preseason served as something of a deadline to general manager Rafael Stone, since other teams around the league would see Porter as even more of a negative asset if he had more guaranteed money attached to the acquisition.
Oladipo, who briefly played for the Rockets in early 2021, averaged 10.7 points (39.7% FG, 33.0% on 3-pointers), 3.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 26.3 minutes with Miami last season. Known best for his defense, Oladipo is 31 years old. He’s unavailable to play after tearing the patellar tendon in his left knee during the 2023 playoffs, though he is expected to return later this season.
Robinson-Earl was a second-round pick in the 2021 draft. A 6-foot-9 forward, he averaged 6.8 points (44.4% FG, 33.3% on 3-pointers) and 4.2 rebounds in 18.9 minutes last season.
Here’s a look at real-time reaction to the deal.