While the Lakers were short-handed against the Rockets, missing LeBron James and Anthony Davis, no one really expected Houston to put up much resistance. After all, this was a team that won just 18 games in 2022-23, tied with the Detroit Pistons for the fewest in the league. 

However, it was obvious from the very start that the Rockets didn’t get the memo. They outscored the Lakers 31-19 in the first quarter and then continued to keep their opponents at a distance for the remainder of the game. The LA team embarked on a few runs to cut into the lead but never got enough to get back all the way.

The Rockets were led by Kevin Porter Jr., who finished the game with 27 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Jabari Smith Jr. and Kenyon Martin Jr. added 18 points and 16 points, respectively. The Lakers, on the other hand, had Austin Reaves score 24 from the bench, while D’Angelo Russell had 18 points and seven assists.

Despite the win, their fourth in the last 10 games, Houston remains stuck at the bottom of the West standings. The Lakers are currently clinging to the last play-in spot at No. 10, having half a game lead on the Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans.

The post Lakers’ Playoff Chances Take a Hit After Loss to League-Worst Houston Rockets appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Reportedly, Porter Jr’s extension is for four years and is worth $82.5 million. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, only the first year of the deal is guaranteed, while other years require certain conditions to be met before becoming guaranteed. The 22-year-old player still has one year left on his rookie deal that will pay him $3.2 million.

The Rockets’ general manager Rafael Stone said in a statement that the organization values the growth Porter Jr. showed as “a player and a person,” which is why they gave him the new deal.

“He’s expressed how happy he is to be with this organization and has shown his commitment to putting in the work both on and off the court,” Stone added. “We are excited for the opportunity to continue to build something special with him.”

Kevin Porter Jr. was drafted in the NBA with the 30th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers shortly after. He had a promising rookie season in Cleveland, but that was later overshadowed by his problematic off-the-court behavior and various antics.

The Cavs didn’t want Porter on their team after this, but the Rockets were happy to take him for a heavily-protected second-rounder. While the USC product caused some controversy in Houston as well, he proved to be much more focused on basketball than he was in Cleveland. In 2021-22  he averaged 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game.

The post Rockets and Kevin Porter Jr. Agree to 4-Year, $82.5 Million Extension appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

According to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, Wall’s time in Houston is coming to an end despite his contract status. The Rockets are currently seeking trade scenarios, but if they fail to find a fitting swap, they’ll work with Wall on a contract buyout.

This turn of events isn’t a huge shocker, considering how Wall’s most recent season with Houston turned out. He didn’t make any appearances with the team this year, after his 2020-2021 was cut short due to a hamstring strain.

John Wall will exercise his $47.4M player option for the Rockets next season, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/t0KA6wzvBL

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 21, 2022

Wall joined the Houston Rockets in 2020, after being traded by the Washington Wizards for Russell Westbrook. He had some memorable moments, such as logging his first triple-double since 2016 and averaging 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 3.2 rebounds across 40 games in 2020-21.

Before coming to Houston, Wall spent the first ten years of his professional NBA career with the Wizards, where he became a five-time NBA All-Star. His career slowed down after an Achilles tear, which forced him to miss the entire 2019-20 season and eventually led to his trade to the Rockets.

The post Houston Rockets’ John Wall Set to Exercise $47.4 Player Option for 2022-23 Season appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

According to a statement shared on the Rockets’ official social media page, Green will act as a player development coach.

Green’s decision not to play anymore isn’t surprising, considering that injuries kept him off the floor for the past two seasons. He had to undergo surgery to repair a broken foot in October 2019 and never got around to suit up for an NBA game again. The 35-year-old last played during the 2018-19 season when he averaged 9.2 points and 2.5 rebounds per game with the Rockets.

Gerald Green, the Boston Celtics’ first-round selection in the 2005 NBA Draft, has been a journeyman throughout his career. He played for eight different NBA franchises while also having several stints in Europe and China. Green’s NBA career averages include 9.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

Green is perhaps best known for being the NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion in 2007 and finishing second in the contest a year later.

The post Gerald Green Retires, Joins Houston Rockets Coaching Staff appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

According to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko, Rockets veteran guard Eric Gordon isn’t so high on being part of the rebuild and is reportedly open to the idea of “moving to a more favorable situation”. Houston, on the other hand, would like to keep the 32-year-old star as they consider him a valuable mentor for their younger players.

Gordon still hasn’t asked the Rockets to trade him but doesn’t hide that he would like to play more meaningful basketball.

“As an NBA player, that’s what you play for—to win. Not to be on the team just to be the man,” Gordon told Iko. “It’s more fun to play to win on a team that’s contending; Everybody goes through that phase for sure.”

Gordon currently has two years left on his deal and is scheduled to earn $37.7 million in the following two seasons. This, in combination with his recent injury history, could limit his market, but there is no doubt that his defense and scoring ability will be enough to entice a team or two.

Gordon is coming off a productive but short 2020-21 season. He averaged 17.8 points and 2.6 assists per game during the campaign but ended up playing just 27 games.

The post Rockets’ Eric Gordon Reportedly “Open” to Moving Elsewhere appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Oladipo reportedly passed on the offer since he wants to land a long-term deal in free agency. As Wojnarowski points out, this doesn’t mean that the 28-year-old star wants out of Houston, since the two sides still have plenty of options to stay together.

If the Rockets don’t want to take a risk with Oladipo and see him walk away for nothing, the team can trade him. There are still four weeks left before the end of the trade deadline, and a player of Oladipo’s caliber could net them a handsome package despite his looming free agency.

In case Houston stays put, the franchise will have an opportunity to discuss a new deal with Oladipo when the 2020-21 NBA season wraps up. At that point, there will be several different options available to them, ranging from a four-year, $113 million contract to a five-year, $195 million extension.

Another likely scenario is that the Houston Rockets and Victor Oladipo work out a sign-and-trade deal. The Rockets would still get something in return, while Oladipo can go to his preferred destination even if the team he likes doesn’t have cap space to sign him in free agency.

Oladipo joined the Rockets in January as part of a four-team trade that sent superstar James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets. He played 13 games for the Rockets since then, averaging 18.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists.

The post Victor Oladipo Rejects 2-Year Extension from the Rockets appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

When point guard John Wall was asked about the Rockets’ recent surge, he had this to say: “The team wasn’t where we wanted to be and we had people that didn’t want to be here. So it’s kind of hard to play through that. Once the trade happened, we got the team that we wanted and guys that wanted to be here.”

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand who he’s talking about. Before the trade, Harden had made it clear that he didn’t want to be playing in Houston anymore. Wall made the point that unless everyone is completely on board, there’s no room for growth.

Even though Harden had been scoring up to his usual standard before the trade, the Rockets were losing a lot, and only managed to scrape together a 3-6 record. But clearly they’re in a better place now.

Another big reason for optimism in Houston has been the arrival of Victor Oladipo. A former All-Star, Oladipo suffered an injury and only recently returned to his usual form. For the Houston Rockets, he seems to have returned right on time.

The post John Wall Explains Why the Rockets Have Won 4 Straight appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The now-ex-Houston Rockets superstar guard had initially shared before the season that he wanted to get traded to a contender, ideally the Nets. But nothing really ended up happening from that.

However, after the Rockets got blown out by the Los Angeles Lakers 117-100, Harden decided it was the last straw. In the press conference after the game, he declared that Houston simply wasn’t “good enough” to declare for a title.

In a shocking turn of events, Houston then engaged in a four-way trade with the Nets, the Indiana Pacers, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Nets received the biggest piece of the trade in Harden. The Rockets received a massive package that included three unprotected first-round draft picks and four pick swaps from the Nets, along with Brooklyn forward Rodions Kurucs. But Houston also got Pacers star forward Victor Oladipo, Cavs guard Dante Exum, and Cleveland’s 2022 first-round draft pick that they got from the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Cavs were given young big man Jarrett Allen and forward Taurean Prince from the Nets, and the Pacers received promising guard Caris LeVert from the Nets as well. To top it off, Cleveland also received a 2023 second-round pick from Houston.

The most exciting part of the trade is Harden teaming up with fellow stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn, forming a formidable big three that teams won’t be excited to face.

The post James Harden Traded To Nets In Blockbuster Four-Team Deal appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

He also added that he believes that the current situation in which Houston is in can’t be fixed, which is the closest Harden has gotten to publicly asking for a trade since rumors of him wanting to leave Houston surfaced in the offseason.

According to reports, the Rockets would be willing to deal their star scorer and former league MVP, but it would have to be for a king’s ransom. The Rockets reportedly want at least a young franchise cornerstone player and a few first-round picks in exchange for Harden.

Reports have claimed that the Rockets have had discussions with more than six teams and have kept Harden in the loop as well regarding the negotiations.

Sources say that Harden told Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta in the offseason that he did not believe in the current direction of the franchise and that he would prefer to be traded to a team that had a better chance of contending for a title.

Despite his displeasure with the situation, Harden is still averaging 24.8 points per game this season.

The post Rockets Star James Harden Says Houston’s Problems “Can’t Be Fixed” appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

In a chat with reporters on Monday, the Rockets’ new head coach Stephen Silas confirmed that Danuel House Jr. will get the starting spot in 2020-21 over Gordon. According to Silas, the decision was made due to House’s defensive abilities.

“I like House because he can guard the best player on the floor,” said Silas. “He’s a spacer. He can kind of live [on offense] off of what James, John, and C-Wood do. Then having Eric’s veteran scoring and defending punch off the bench in a more featured role, that makes sense to me.”

Gordon split his time between being a starter and coming off of the bench in the past three seasons under Mike D’Antoni. He saw his most prominent starting role during the 2018-19 season when he had 53 starts out of 68 appearances while also starting all playoff games.

Commenting on Silas’ decision, Eric Gordon said that he is fine with both being a starter and a reserve but prefers to have a defined status.

“I just want to have some consistency to where I either just come off the bench, or start,” said Gordon. “I know previous years, I’d always go back and forth, and it was sometimes frustrating as a player.”

Gordon is looking to have a bounce-back campaign this season after he struggled with injuries in 2019-20. He managed to play only 36 games, having a second career-worst average of 14.4 points per game.

The post Rockets F Eric Gordon Replaced As a Starter By Danuel House Jr. appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

While the Lakers were short-handed against the Rockets, missing LeBron James and Anthony Davis, no one really expected Houston to put up much resistance. After all, this was a team that won just 18 games in 2022-23, tied with the Detroit Pistons for the fewest in the league. 

However, it was obvious from the very start that the Rockets didn’t get the memo. They outscored the Lakers 31-19 in the first quarter and then continued to keep their opponents at a distance for the remainder of the game. The LA team embarked on a few runs to cut into the lead but never got enough to get back all the way.

The Rockets were led by Kevin Porter Jr., who finished the game with 27 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Jabari Smith Jr. and Kenyon Martin Jr. added 18 points and 16 points, respectively. The Lakers, on the other hand, had Austin Reaves score 24 from the bench, while D’Angelo Russell had 18 points and seven assists.

Despite the win, their fourth in the last 10 games, Houston remains stuck at the bottom of the West standings. The Lakers are currently clinging to the last play-in spot at No. 10, having half a game lead on the Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans.

The post Lakers’ Playoff Chances Take a Hit After Loss to League-Worst Houston Rockets appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Reportedly, Porter Jr’s extension is for four years and is worth $82.5 million. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, only the first year of the deal is guaranteed, while other years require certain conditions to be met before becoming guaranteed. The 22-year-old player still has one year left on his rookie deal that will pay him $3.2 million.

The Rockets’ general manager Rafael Stone said in a statement that the organization values the growth Porter Jr. showed as “a player and a person,” which is why they gave him the new deal.

“He’s expressed how happy he is to be with this organization and has shown his commitment to putting in the work both on and off the court,” Stone added. “We are excited for the opportunity to continue to build something special with him.”

Kevin Porter Jr. was drafted in the NBA with the 30th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers shortly after. He had a promising rookie season in Cleveland, but that was later overshadowed by his problematic off-the-court behavior and various antics.

The Cavs didn’t want Porter on their team after this, but the Rockets were happy to take him for a heavily-protected second-rounder. While the USC product caused some controversy in Houston as well, he proved to be much more focused on basketball than he was in Cleveland. In 2021-22  he averaged 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game.

The post Rockets and Kevin Porter Jr. Agree to 4-Year, $82.5 Million Extension appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

According to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, Wall’s time in Houston is coming to an end despite his contract status. The Rockets are currently seeking trade scenarios, but if they fail to find a fitting swap, they’ll work with Wall on a contract buyout.

This turn of events isn’t a huge shocker, considering how Wall’s most recent season with Houston turned out. He didn’t make any appearances with the team this year, after his 2020-2021 was cut short due to a hamstring strain.

John Wall will exercise his $47.4M player option for the Rockets next season, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/t0KA6wzvBL

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 21, 2022

Wall joined the Houston Rockets in 2020, after being traded by the Washington Wizards for Russell Westbrook. He had some memorable moments, such as logging his first triple-double since 2016 and averaging 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 3.2 rebounds across 40 games in 2020-21.

Before coming to Houston, Wall spent the first ten years of his professional NBA career with the Wizards, where he became a five-time NBA All-Star. His career slowed down after an Achilles tear, which forced him to miss the entire 2019-20 season and eventually led to his trade to the Rockets.

The post Houston Rockets’ John Wall Set to Exercise $47.4 Player Option for 2022-23 Season appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

According to a statement shared on the Rockets’ official social media page, Green will act as a player development coach.

Green’s decision not to play anymore isn’t surprising, considering that injuries kept him off the floor for the past two seasons. He had to undergo surgery to repair a broken foot in October 2019 and never got around to suit up for an NBA game again. The 35-year-old last played during the 2018-19 season when he averaged 9.2 points and 2.5 rebounds per game with the Rockets.

Gerald Green, the Boston Celtics’ first-round selection in the 2005 NBA Draft, has been a journeyman throughout his career. He played for eight different NBA franchises while also having several stints in Europe and China. Green’s NBA career averages include 9.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

Green is perhaps best known for being the NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion in 2007 and finishing second in the contest a year later.

The post Gerald Green Retires, Joins Houston Rockets Coaching Staff appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

According to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko, Rockets veteran guard Eric Gordon isn’t so high on being part of the rebuild and is reportedly open to the idea of “moving to a more favorable situation”. Houston, on the other hand, would like to keep the 32-year-old star as they consider him a valuable mentor for their younger players.

Gordon still hasn’t asked the Rockets to trade him but doesn’t hide that he would like to play more meaningful basketball.

“As an NBA player, that’s what you play for—to win. Not to be on the team just to be the man,” Gordon told Iko. “It’s more fun to play to win on a team that’s contending; Everybody goes through that phase for sure.”

Gordon currently has two years left on his deal and is scheduled to earn $37.7 million in the following two seasons. This, in combination with his recent injury history, could limit his market, but there is no doubt that his defense and scoring ability will be enough to entice a team or two.

Gordon is coming off a productive but short 2020-21 season. He averaged 17.8 points and 2.6 assists per game during the campaign but ended up playing just 27 games.

The post Rockets’ Eric Gordon Reportedly “Open” to Moving Elsewhere appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Oladipo reportedly passed on the offer since he wants to land a long-term deal in free agency. As Wojnarowski points out, this doesn’t mean that the 28-year-old star wants out of Houston, since the two sides still have plenty of options to stay together.

If the Rockets don’t want to take a risk with Oladipo and see him walk away for nothing, the team can trade him. There are still four weeks left before the end of the trade deadline, and a player of Oladipo’s caliber could net them a handsome package despite his looming free agency.

In case Houston stays put, the franchise will have an opportunity to discuss a new deal with Oladipo when the 2020-21 NBA season wraps up. At that point, there will be several different options available to them, ranging from a four-year, $113 million contract to a five-year, $195 million extension.

Another likely scenario is that the Houston Rockets and Victor Oladipo work out a sign-and-trade deal. The Rockets would still get something in return, while Oladipo can go to his preferred destination even if the team he likes doesn’t have cap space to sign him in free agency.

Oladipo joined the Rockets in January as part of a four-team trade that sent superstar James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets. He played 13 games for the Rockets since then, averaging 18.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists.

The post Victor Oladipo Rejects 2-Year Extension from the Rockets appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

When point guard John Wall was asked about the Rockets’ recent surge, he had this to say: “The team wasn’t where we wanted to be and we had people that didn’t want to be here. So it’s kind of hard to play through that. Once the trade happened, we got the team that we wanted and guys that wanted to be here.”

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand who he’s talking about. Before the trade, Harden had made it clear that he didn’t want to be playing in Houston anymore. Wall made the point that unless everyone is completely on board, there’s no room for growth.

Even though Harden had been scoring up to his usual standard before the trade, the Rockets were losing a lot, and only managed to scrape together a 3-6 record. But clearly they’re in a better place now.

Another big reason for optimism in Houston has been the arrival of Victor Oladipo. A former All-Star, Oladipo suffered an injury and only recently returned to his usual form. For the Houston Rockets, he seems to have returned right on time.

The post John Wall Explains Why the Rockets Have Won 4 Straight appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The now-ex-Houston Rockets superstar guard had initially shared before the season that he wanted to get traded to a contender, ideally the Nets. But nothing really ended up happening from that.

However, after the Rockets got blown out by the Los Angeles Lakers 117-100, Harden decided it was the last straw. In the press conference after the game, he declared that Houston simply wasn’t “good enough” to declare for a title.

In a shocking turn of events, Houston then engaged in a four-way trade with the Nets, the Indiana Pacers, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Nets received the biggest piece of the trade in Harden. The Rockets received a massive package that included three unprotected first-round draft picks and four pick swaps from the Nets, along with Brooklyn forward Rodions Kurucs. But Houston also got Pacers star forward Victor Oladipo, Cavs guard Dante Exum, and Cleveland’s 2022 first-round draft pick that they got from the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Cavs were given young big man Jarrett Allen and forward Taurean Prince from the Nets, and the Pacers received promising guard Caris LeVert from the Nets as well. To top it off, Cleveland also received a 2023 second-round pick from Houston.

The most exciting part of the trade is Harden teaming up with fellow stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn, forming a formidable big three that teams won’t be excited to face.

The post James Harden Traded To Nets In Blockbuster Four-Team Deal appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

He also added that he believes that the current situation in which Houston is in can’t be fixed, which is the closest Harden has gotten to publicly asking for a trade since rumors of him wanting to leave Houston surfaced in the offseason.

According to reports, the Rockets would be willing to deal their star scorer and former league MVP, but it would have to be for a king’s ransom. The Rockets reportedly want at least a young franchise cornerstone player and a few first-round picks in exchange for Harden.

Reports have claimed that the Rockets have had discussions with more than six teams and have kept Harden in the loop as well regarding the negotiations.

Sources say that Harden told Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta in the offseason that he did not believe in the current direction of the franchise and that he would prefer to be traded to a team that had a better chance of contending for a title.

Despite his displeasure with the situation, Harden is still averaging 24.8 points per game this season.

The post Rockets Star James Harden Says Houston’s Problems “Can’t Be Fixed” appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

In a chat with reporters on Monday, the Rockets’ new head coach Stephen Silas confirmed that Danuel House Jr. will get the starting spot in 2020-21 over Gordon. According to Silas, the decision was made due to House’s defensive abilities.

“I like House because he can guard the best player on the floor,” said Silas. “He’s a spacer. He can kind of live [on offense] off of what James, John, and C-Wood do. Then having Eric’s veteran scoring and defending punch off the bench in a more featured role, that makes sense to me.”

Gordon split his time between being a starter and coming off of the bench in the past three seasons under Mike D’Antoni. He saw his most prominent starting role during the 2018-19 season when he had 53 starts out of 68 appearances while also starting all playoff games.

Commenting on Silas’ decision, Eric Gordon said that he is fine with both being a starter and a reserve but prefers to have a defined status.

“I just want to have some consistency to where I either just come off the bench, or start,” said Gordon. “I know previous years, I’d always go back and forth, and it was sometimes frustrating as a player.”

Gordon is looking to have a bounce-back campaign this season after he struggled with injuries in 2019-20. He managed to play only 36 games, having a second career-worst average of 14.4 points per game.

The post Rockets F Eric Gordon Replaced As a Starter By Danuel House Jr. appeared first on yoursportspot.com.