Rockets trade second-round draft assets to Memphis for Steven Adams

The Rockets are trading for veteran center Steven Adams to pair with Alperen Sengun, though he won’t be available until next season.

For months, a physical, defensive minded backup center to complement incumbent starter Alperen Sengun has been atop the wishlist of the Houston Rockets. On Thursday, with a week to go until the NBA’s Feb. 8 trade deadline, they finally made it happen.

Unfortunately, they likely won’t reap the benefits until the 2024-25 season. As first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Rockets are sending three second-round picks (two in 2024, and another in 2025) to Memphis for veteran center Steven Adams, who is under contract through 2024-25 at $12.6 million annually.

Now 30 years old, Adams averaged 8.6 points (59.7% FG) and 11.5 rebounds as the starting center in Memphis last season.

The bruising 6-foot-11 big man is out for 2023-24 after undergoing knee surgery but is expected to return healthy in 2024-25. For a team in Houston (22-25) that is improving this season but not yet in contention mode, that delayed gratification makes sense.

The Rockets are using the expiring $9.5-million contract of Victor Oladipo (acquired for Kevin Porter Jr. in October) as the salary matching vehicle to make the deal work under league rules. For Memphis, the primary incentives are the second-round picks and the financial flexibility once Oladipo rolls off their books this summer.

Here’s our look at immediate reaction to the deal, both from media members and fans who actively follow the Rockets.

Report: Rockets showed trade interest in Detroit’s Alec Burks

Earlier this fall, the Rockets reportedly showed interest in trading for Detroit’s Alec Burks, and his name could soon resurface as NBA trade season nears.

When the Houston Rockets canvassed the NBA for potential Kevin Porter Jr. trades in September and October (following his off-court arrest), general manager Rafael Stone eventually settled on a package from Oklahoma City headlined by Victor Oladipo.

Oladipo wouldn’t seem to have much, if any, basketball value this season, since the veteran guard is recovering from a serious knee injury suffered in the 2022-23 playoffs. But his expiring $9.5-million salary provides Stone and the Rockets added financial flexibility to help match salaries on future trade proposals.

Before settling on Oladipo, Houston reportedly canvassed the league for possibilities that could provide both a salary slot and basketball value. However, the period leading up to the start of each regular season is usually a relatively quiet one, for trades, since many potential sellers aren’t motivated to do so on the eve of a new season. In theory, that new season offers unlimited potential.

But as results trickle in, that optimism can fade quickly. One example is Detroit. The Pistons (2-18) entered this week with 17 straight losses. Their incentive to keep veteran players on expiring contracts is rapidly diminishing, since the value of the 2023-24 season is minimal, and there’s a potential risk of losing players for no compensation after that.

In his latest column on the Pistons, Yahoo’s Jake Fischer writes:

As of now, Detroit is only expected to factor into this winter’s upcoming trade window as a potential seller of veteran talent, most notably combo guard Alec Burks and sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanović. Burks was of particular interest to the Rockets, league sources told Yahoo Sports, when Houston was navigating trade scenarios for Kevin Porter Jr. prior to this season, and Houston still has Victor Oladipo’s $9.5 million salary to play with before February’s trade deadline. There’s also veteran point guard Monte Morris, who’s been sidelined with a quad strain and has one season left at just $9.8 million.

On paper, Burks and Morris would seem to be the types of established veterans teams are reluctant to trade prior to giving their current group a chance to succeed. But once it becomes evident that the current season is lost, and thus has no value, securing draft capital for their services is a better outcome than potentially losing the player for no compensation in the next free agency window.

The Rockets (8-9) have three second-round picks in the 2024 draft, and they’d likely prefer to move at least one of those, since they would not have room to roster so many young players. In theory, the Rockets could package Oladipo’s expiring contract and one of those second-round selections to meet Detroit’s needs for both salary and an asset.

If Houston eventually acquires Burks, the 32-year-old would likely fill the backup wing role once earmarked for Porter. Over an extended NBA career, the 6-foot-6 veteran has averaged 10.8 points (38.3% on 3-pointers), 3.5 rebounds and 22.9 minutes.

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Report: As NBA trade season nears, Rockets aren’t interested in deal for Chicago’s Zach LaVine

Shooting guard has been a position of inconsistency for the Rockets, but Chicago’s Zach LaVine won’t be a trade target, per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.

Between Jock Landale, Victor Oladipo, Jeff Green, and Jae’Sean Tate, Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone will have tradable salary to make the math work on potential deals in the weeks leading up to the February 2024 trade deadline for this season.

The Rockets (8-8) are off to a better-than-expected start to the 2023-24 campaign, and that’s despite inconsistency at shooting guard from Jalen Green and the unexpected loss of Kevin Porter Jr. just prior to the season (owing to his off-court arrest).

So, if Houston seeks an upgrade to bolster a playoff push, it would stand to reason that shooting guard could be a position of interest. But one player who won’t be a target, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, is seemingly disgruntled Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine.

From Scotto’s trade season preview, which includes information sourced from 15 NBA executives and league sources:

Looking ahead to the trade deadline, Houston will look to continue upgrading its roster with the tradeable contracts of Victor Oladipo, Jock Landale, Jeff Green, and future draft pick(s) compensation, league sources told HoopsHype.

Oladipo is on an expiring $9.45 million deal, Landale is owed $8 million this season and includes no guaranteed money next season, and Green is owed $9.6 million this season and has a team option and a non-guaranteed clause in his contract for next season, per our Rockets salaries page.

While Zach LaVine is one of the top names on the market, the Rockets are not in on his sweepstakes, HoopsHype has learned.

It’s also worth noting that over the past few seasons Jae’Sean Tate has also drawn exploratory trade interest from several playoff-caliber teams, league sources told HoopsHype.

Lastly, before signing with Houston, Reggie Bullock had interest from several teams, including the Bucks, Heat, Celtics, Clippers, and Pelicans. Given his proven 3-and-D capability and current role in Houston, he’s also a name to watch.

LaVine is under contract for more than $40 million annually through the 2026-27 season (player option), though his per-game production — while good — isn’t at nearly at a superstar level. Thus, the Rockets could be aiting for a better return on investment, both financially and in terms of the asset cost that a deal would require.

For the right player, Houston does own a considerable amount of future draft capital, which could be used to incentivize a deal.

December 15, which is two weeks away, is the unofficial start to the NBA’s trade season — since that’s the date in which most players who signed contracts in the recently completed offseason become trade eligible. That opens up considerably more options and targets around the league, and Stone and the Rockets should have incentive to be aggressive as their rebuild enters its second phase.

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Report: Despite injury, Victor Oladipo’s roster spot appears secure in Houston

Victor Oladipo’s knee injury will delay his 2023-24 availability for some time, but his #Rockets roster spot remains secure, the Houston Chronicle reports.

As is the case for all NBA teams, the Houston Rockets need to trim their roster by Tuesday’s deadline for the 2023-24 regular season. Teams can carry up to 21 players during the offseason, training camp and preseason, but that number falls to a maximum of 15 standard contracts and three two-way deals once the season begins.

The Rockets (training camp roster) have already begun that process, waiving Matthew Mayer and Nate Hinton in recent days. Both could soon become candidates for roles with Houston’s NBA G League affiliate club, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers.

Even so, more cuts will need to be made by Tuesday. Despite his lack of availability, one player who will not be cut is veteran guard Victor Oladipo, who was recently acquired in the Kevin Porter Jr. trade. Oladipo tore the patellar tendon in his left knee in April.

Per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:

Though Oladipo is out while trying to come back from a torn left patella tendon, the Rockets are expected to keep him on the roster either as a late-season addition or as a trade piece.

Oladipo, 31, can begin intensifying his workouts once he passes the six-month mark since the injury, which occurs this week. Known best for his defense, Oladipo averaged 10.7 points, 3.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 26.3 minutes per game with Miami last season.

For the Rockets, Oladipo’s value appears to be in large part due to his expiring $9.5-million salary. To general manager Rafael Stone, that could become very useful near the 2023-24 trade deadline in February, should Houston need to match salaries on a larger trade.

With Oladipo’s spot secure, the final roster decisions seem to involve picking three from among Jermaine Samuels Jr., Darius Days, Trevor Hudgins and Nate Williams for the two-way spots, and choosing between veteran big man Boban Marjanovic and young prospect Jeremiah Robinson-Earl for the final spot among standard contracts.

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Bulls listed among potential ‘top landing spots’ for Victor Oladipo

The Chicago Bulls were suggested as a potential landing spot for Victor Oladipo.

Heading into the summer, the Chicago Bulls needed to add guard help. With the injury to Lonzo Ball, they’ve struggled at the point guard position, so adding ball-handlers to the roster was a top priority. They did just that by signing Jevon Carter, and they also re-signed Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu.

That said, there’s always room to add more help in the backcourt, especially if the player they target could also help them improve on the offensive side of the ball, where they have struggled for the past two years. And one guy who could do that may be available soon.

According to Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report, the Bulls should be one of the potential “top landing spots” for Victor Oladipo, who was just traded to the Houston Rockets and may not stay there, depending on what direction the team wants to go in.

“Lonzo Ball is set to miss his second straight full campaign recovering from a knee injury, and none of his potential replacements at starting point guard have seized the job this preseason.

“Oladipo wouldn’t be an obvious choice there either, but he’d at least give Chicago an option and a little more depth at guard,” Bailey wrote.

He also noted that Oladipo would provide help on the defensive end.

“Despite the injuries, Oladipo is still a solid on-ball defender on the perimeter who’ll occasionally get into passing lanes.

With LaVine and DeRozan carrying the scoring load, Oladipo could focus in on being a disruptor elsewhere,” Bailey wrote.

Should the Rockets let Oladipo go, the Bulls could get in on the action.

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Report: Rockets have explored trades for Alec Burks, Talen Horton-Tucker, Malcolm Brogdon

The #Rockets have explored trades for Alec Burks, Talen Horton-Tucker, and Malcolm Brogdon in recent weeks, Yahoo’s Jake Fischer reports.

For weeks, the Houston Rockets had wanted to move on from Kevin Porter Jr. in the wake of his September arrest in New York for an alleged assault and strangulation against his girlfriend.

On Tuesday, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone was able to get it done by including two second-round draft picks as part of a package landing Victor Oladipo and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl from Oklahoma City. The Thunder will immediately waive Porter.

Oladipo, however, is not ready to play basketball after suffering a torn patellar tendon during the 2023 NBA playoffs last April.

So while Oladipo’s expiring $9.5-million contract could replace most of Porter’s salary slot in future trades, the ideal scenario would be to have that salary slot filled by a player who could also help the Rockets win more games in the short-term. After all, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, “the Rockets expect to compete for the play-in tournament this spring (in the 2023-24 season).”

While Oladipo can’t be traded in combination with other players until 60 days after his acquisition by the Rockets, he could be traded immediately, if he’s the only outgoing player in the deal.

So, what might make sense for Stone and the Rockets in a deal involving Oladipo and future draft compensation? In his latest article, Fischer outlined three possibilities of at least some interest. All three are guards who play a somewhat similar role to Oladipo and the one Porter was expected to play prior to his September arrest.

Rockets trade Kevin Porter Jr., second-round picks to Oklahoma City for Victor Oladipo, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

Kevin Porter Jr. is off the #Rockets after being traded to Oklahoma City for Victor Oladipo and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Here’s our look at what the deal means.

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.

Report: Thunder acquire Kevin Porter Jr., two second-round picks; will waive him

The Thunder have acquired Kevin Porter Jr. – who they will waive – and two future second-round picks from the Rockets.

The Oklahoma City Thunder traded Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Victor Oladipo to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Kevin Porter Jr. and two second-round picks, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Thunder plan to immediately waive Porter Jr., who was not with the Rockets throughout training camp and preseason in the wake of his being charged with second-degree strangulation and third-degree assault.

In September, Porter Jr. was arrested for allegedly assaulting and strangling his girlfriend, former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick. He recently rejected a plea deal related to the arrest.

A second-degree assault charge was dropped on Monday by prosecutors due to insufficient evidence. According to reports, Gondrezick has a congenital defect that was mistaken for a cracked neck vertebra.

Porter Jr. signed a four-year extension worth up to $82.5 million last year but the deal was only partially guaranteed due to previous off-court issues.

The Thunder will pay Porter Jr. the remaining $16.9 million guaranteed money left on his current deal. The two second-round picks they acquired are a 2027 second-round pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves and a 2028 second-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks.

This move marks the end of Robinson-Earl’s and Oladipo’s tenures with the Thunder. The former is owed $1.9 million this season with a $2 million team option for next season. The latter is on an expiring $9.5 million contract. He continues to rehab from a torn patellar tendon he suffered in April.

With Robinson-Earl and Oladipo on the move, the Thunder’s regular-season roster gets clearer. This trade and subsequent release of Porter Jr. puts OKC’s roster at 19 players — 16 standard players and three two-way players.

The Thunder need to make one more decision to get down to an 18-man regular-season roster by the Oct. 25 season opener against the Chicago Bulls.

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OKC Thunder 3 goals: What Victor Oladipo has to accomplish in 2023-24 season

Here are 3 goals Victor Oladipo can achieve this upcoming season.

In this continuing series, Thunder Wire assigns three goals to each of the 21 players, per Spotrac, that make up the Oklahoma City Thunder roster.

The Thunder’s season kicks off on Oct. 25 against the Chicago Bulls. After a surprising 40-42 campaign that ended a win shy of the playoffs, OKC enters this year with playoff aspirations.

Let’s assign three goals for Victor Oladipo. The injured 31-year-old will not suit up for OKC; he’ll miss training camp. The Thunder will make a decision soon on his expiring $9.5 million salary.

Oladipo is recovering from a torn patellar tendon he suffered in April. As Thunder fans know, this is a complex injury that could take years to return from.

Sam Presti provides update on Victor Oladipo’s future with the Thunder

“We’re huge fans of his. He’s got a great spirit, man.”

As it stands, the Oklahoma City Thunder need to make three subtractions from their 18-person roster before the season begins.

Following Thunder general manager Sam Presti’s 2023-24 preseason presser though, that number is more of a formality. During his media availability, he revealed Victor Oladipo will not attend training camp, and that they’ll make a decision on his contract sooner rather than later.

“The answer to that is he won’t be at camp, so we’ll have to make a decision on that contract. VO is great. He’s been through a lot. He’ll be back this season at some point, and I’m sure he’ll be playing with like a really good team at some point, but just with our roster situation, we just can’t prioritize that right now.

We’re huge fans of his. He’s got a great spirit, man, and no one can battle through the things that he’s battled through unless you have that kind of spirit and optimism in addition to being an extremely talented guy. He’ll be back, and I think he’ll be helping someone. Just the alignment for us doesn’t make sense right now.”

The Thunder acquired Oladipo and draft picks from the Miami Heat for a trade exception in late June.

Oladipo has an expiring salary and is owed $9.5 million this season. The 31-year-old suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee on April 23. The injury will likely cost him most — if not all — of the upcoming season.

Perhaps in previous seasons, the Thunder would’ve tried to rehabilitate Oladipo’s value to flip him for draft picks, but they no longer have that luxury due to the amount of young talent on the roster.

Once he’s no longer on the Thunder roster, Oladipo will likely stay a free agent as he tries to return from the gruesome late April injury. Perhaps if he’s cleared to return before the season ends, he’ll get signed as a flyer for a contender.

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