Tag: Boban Marjanović

Rockets reportedly hoping to use two-way contract slot on backup center

Moses Brown, Freddie Gillespie, Bruno Fernando, and Mfiondu Kabengele are among potential backup center signings for the Rockets, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

The Houston Rockets would like to add center depth behind second-year starter Alperen Sengun, but they have a clear incentive to avoid longer-term salaries that could clog their salary cap flexibility in 2023.

Thus, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic, the Rockets are currently exploring big-man additions for 2022-23 via a two-way contract (for one season).

Iko names Moses Brown and Freddie Gillespie as potential candidates, along with the possibility of re-signing Bruno Fernando or calling up Mfiondu Kabengele from Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers. There is no clear timetable for such a move.

Internally, the Rockets do have veteran big man Boban Marjanović and second-year forward Usman Garuba as candidates to play beyond Sengun. But neither is proven as a consistent NBA rotation player, so it makes sense for Houston general manager Rafael Stone to explore outside additions, as well — particularly if they are cap friendly.

Time will tell on whether any of these potential deals materialize. Another plausible candidate could be 6-foot-9 big man Aric Holman, who continues to play well for Houston’s 2022 summer league team.

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Meet the newest Rockets: Sterling Brown, Boban Marjanovic, Trey Burke, and Marquese Chriss

It’s not yet clear who will stick around, but for now, here’s a look at the four players headed from Dallas to Houston as part of the trade involving Christian Wood and a first-round draft pick.

The primary motivations for Wednesday’s trade sending Christian Wood from the Rockets to the Mavericks involved his contract situation, an apparent logjam for frontcourt minutes, and Dallas sending Houston the No. 26 overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NBA draft.

But for salary reasons, the Rockets did receive four players as well. And because it’s the offseason, which is when the NBA allows teams to have up to 20 players on each roster (up from 15 standard contracts during the regular season), Houston has time to decide its next move(s).

Clearly, no one in the group of Sterling Brown, Boban Marjanovic, Trey Burke, and Marquese Chriss is a foundational piece. Yet, each has had a spot in an NBA rotation before. In the case of Chriss (2018-19) and Brown (2020-21), each has played a previous season in Houston, as well.

Like Wood, none of those players has a contract beyond 2022-23. Thus, Houston’s foreseeable salary cap situation — above the cap this 2022 offseason, and potentially well below it in 2023 — is unchanged.

Time will tell as to whether each player is rerouted in a future offseason trade, waived, or kept as part of the 2022-23 roster in Houston. For now, here’s a look at what each player could have to offer.

Key takeaways as Rockets trade Christian Wood to Dallas for first-round draft package

In a trade primarily about the incoming draft asset, the Rockets dealt Christian Wood to Dallas for the No. 26 pick in the 2022 first round. Here’s a look at immediate reaction and takeaways.

In a trade primarily about the incoming draft asset, the Rockets are reportedly moving Christian Wood to Dallas for the No. 26 pick in the 2022 first round. With only one season left on his contract, Houston was widely expected to consider Wood trades during the 2022 offseason, as opposed to taking the risk of losing him for no compensation in 2023.

The deal will not be finalized until after the draft next Thursday, so as it stands now, Dallas will be picking for Houston at that spot.

Though Wood lead Houston in points and rebounds in 2021-22, his age (soon to be 27 years old) and contractual status aren’t in alignment with a young core consisting of Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., and Alperen Sengun. All are on their rookie contracts and are 22 years old or younger.

Trading Wood to the Mavericks, where he will be paired with perennial MVP candidate Luka Doncic, presumably opens up the starting center spot for Sengun — who will be entering his second NBA season.

In two seasons with the Rockets, Wood averaged 19.1 points (50.7% FG, 38.4% on 3-pointers) and 9.9 rebounds in 31.4 minutes, though his defense was often called into question due to his slender frame.

To make the salary math work, since the Mavericks are over the NBA’s salary cap, the Rockets are reportedly taking in Marquise Chriss, Boban Marjanovic, Sterling Brown, and Trey Burke for salary matching purposes. Per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, the Rockets have not determined who (if any) from that group of role players will be kept. They don’t have to make an immediate decision, since the NBA allows expanded rosters of up to 20 players in the offseason.

All four newly acquired players have contracts expiring after the 2022-23 campaign at the latest (Burke has a player option this offseason), so the trade does not materially impact Houston’s salary cap situation. The Rockets were positioned to be above the salary cap in the 2022 offseason before the trade and with flexibility to create significant cap room in 2023, and that remains the case after this transaction.

The primary incoming asset for the Rockets is the fdraft pick at No. 26 overall from Dallas, which could be used to add another talented prospect — or it might help Houston to trade up a few spots from No. 17 in the first round, where they currently own Brooklyn’s pick.

Here’s a look at immediate reaction and takeaways.

Twitter reacts to KJ Martin Jr.’s epic block on Boban Marjanović

Houston rookie KJ Martin Jr. sent back a dunk attempt from enormous center Boban Marjanović of the Mavs, and Twitter went crazy.

At 7-foot-4, Dallas Mavericks center Boban Marjanović is nearly a foot taller than 6-foot-6 forward KJ Martin Jr. of the Houston Rockets.

But the 20-year-old rookie has tremendous instincts and athleticism, as we saw in Saturday night’s blowout win by the Rockets when he sent back a dunk attempt by the enormous Dallas center.

The joyous television call by Houston broadcaster Craig Ackerman summed it up well: “KJ Martin climbed Boban Mountain!” It was the most promising NBA moment yet for the second-round pick (No. 52 overall) in the 2020 draft, which Houston acquired from Sacramento via trade.

Martin is the son of Kenyon Martin, a 15-year NBA veteran and the No. 1 overall selection from the 2000 NBA draft.

With the short-handed Rockets missing three usual starters in Victor Oladipo, Christian Wood, and Danuel House Jr., Martin was thrust into action and fared quite well with 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots. Houston was +14 in the 20 minutes played by the rookie.

Of those three blocks, the one on Marjanović clearly attracted the most attention. Here’s a sampling of the immediate social media reaction.

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