Houston Rockets

There is reportedly some doubt regarding whether the Houston Rockets will sign guard Kevin Porter Jr. to a contract extension.

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, the Rockets are expected to enter Porter's contract negotiations "with caution—if at all."

Per Spotrac, Porter is set to make $3.2 million in the final year of his rookie contract in 2022-23 before becoming a restricted free agent at the conclusion of the campaign.

The 22-year-old Porter has spent the past two seasons with the Rockets after originally getting selected 30th overall in the 2019 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, who flipped him to the Detroit Pistons on draft night. Detroit later dealt him to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After appearing in 50 games for the Cavs as a rookie, Porter inactive for the first 14 games of the 2020-21 season before he was traded to the Rockets for a second-round pick. The trade occurred after Porter reportedly had an outburst in the Cavaliers locker room that stemmed from his locker being moved to make space for the newly acquired Taurean Prince.

KPJ played well during his first season in Houston, averaging 16.6 points, 6.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 three-pointers made, while shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 31.1 percent from beyond the arc in 26 games.

Porter was solid again last season as well, appearing in a career-high 61 games and averaging 15.6 points, 6.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 2.5 three-pointers made and 1.1 steals. He also shot 41.5 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from long range.

Last season wasn't without controversy, however, as both Porter and Christian Wood were suspended one game for reportedly getting into a confrontation with assistant coach John Lucas.

Porter reportedly left the arena during a game following the halftime run-in with Lucas.

Any reservations the Rockets have about signing Porter to a long-term extension likely stem from attitude concerns rather than on-court performance.

Given how young he is, Porter has the potential to be an All-Star, but there are some red flags attached to him, which puts Houston in a difficult situation.

The Rockets are committed to 2021 No. 2 pick Jalen Green as their face of the franchise moving forward, but they need more stars around him in order to speed up the rebuilding process.

That star could be on the verge of joining the team since the Rockets own the No. 3 pick in the 2022 NBA draft, which could yield them Auburn forward Jabari Smith, Gonzaga center Chet Holmgren, Duke forward Paolo Banchero or Purdue guard Jaden Ivey.

The Rockets could do worse than Porter as a No. 3 option behind Green and the incoming first-round pick, but his volatility makes it a huge risk to commit long-term money to him.

The Dallas Mavericks have acquired center Christian Wood from the Houston Rockets in exchange for the No. 26 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, center Boban Marjanovic, guard Trey Burke, wing Sterling Brown and big man Marquese Chriss, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon explained the trade from the Rockets' perspective:

Rockets were looking to move Christian Wood to clear playing time for Alperen Sengun and likely the No. 3 overall pick, whether that’s Paolo Banchero or Chet Holmgren. They pounced on chance to acquire a first-round pick (and no long-term salary) in the process.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) June 16, 2022

Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer and Keith Smith of Celtics Blog provided insights from the Mavs' side:

We’re about to see the best version of Christian Wood with Luka Doncic. Wood can finish lobs like Dwight Powell or pop for 3s like Maxi Kleber, and attack off the dribble better than them both. It’s a contract year so he’s gonna be hustling all year on defense too. Huge addition. https://t.co/6H3cpr40KG

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 16, 2022

I like Christian Wood a lot.

Dallas traded four non-rotation players to get him and #26.

So, basically #26.

Even if Wood isn't perfect, that's a great deal for the Mavs.

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 16, 2022

Here's a look at the Mavs' and Rockets' updated rosters, payrolls, salary cap situations and 2022 draft picks following the move.

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Mavericks Active Roster and Average Salary (Expiration Year)

Luka Doncic, PG: $42.5M (2027)

Tim Hardaway Jr., SG: $18.8M (2025)

Spencer Dinwiddie, PG: $18M (2024)

Davis Bertans, SF: $16M (2025)

Dorian Finney-Smith, SF: $13.9M (2026)

Christian Wood, PF: $13.7M (2023)

Dwight Powell, PF: $11.1M (2023)

Reggie Bullock, SF: $10M (2024)

Maxi Kleber, PF: $8.9M (2023)

Josh Green, SG: $3.4M (2024)

Frank Ntilikina, PG: $1.9M (2023)

Mavericks Free Agents

Jalen Brunson, PG: UFA

Theo Pinson, SG: UFA

Mavericks Payroll

Per Spotrac, the Mavericks were listed as having $182.9 million of total cap in 2022-23. Wood is credited with a $14.3 million cap figure for 2022-23.

The four ex-Mavericks' cap figures add up to around $12 million, although Burke can become a free agent if he declines his $3.3 million player option.

With those moves, the Mavs should now have $185.2 million on the books for next year. That would put them $63.2 million over the NBA's $122 million soft cap and $36.2 million over the $149 million luxury tax threshold.

Mavericks Draft Picks

The Mavericks no longer have any draft picks this year.

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Rockets Active Roster and Average Salary (Expiration Year)

John Wall, PG: $42.8M (2023, Player Option)

Eric Gordon, SG: $18.9M (2024)

Jalen Green, SG: $10.2M (2025)

David Nwaba, SG: $5M (2025)

Alperen Sengun, C: $3.9M (2025)

Boban Marjanovic, C: $3.5M (2023)

Trey Burke, G: $3.2M (2023, Player Option)

Usman Garuba, PF: $3M (2025)

Sterling Brown, SG: $3M (2023)

Josh Christopher, SG: $2.9M (2025)

Garrison Mathews, SG: $2.1M (2025)

Kevin Porter Jr., SG: $2M (2023)

Marquese Chriss, SF: $1.6M (2023)

Daishen Nix, PG: $1.5M (2025)

Jae'Sean Tate, SF: $1.5M (2023, Team Option)

Kenyon Martin Jr., SF: $1.4M (2024)

Free Agents

Dennis Schroder, PG: UFA

Bruno Fernando, PF: RFA

Anthony Lamb, SF: RFA

Trevelin Queen, SG: RFA

Rockets Payroll

Per Spotrac, the Rockets had a total cap of $142 million in 2022-23. Following the moves, Houston shaved $2.3 million off their books down to $139.7 million.

That would put them $17.7 million over the NBA's $122 million soft cap but $9.3 million under the $149 million luxury tax threshold.

Rockets Draft Picks

The Rockets now hold the No. 3, 17 and 26 overall picks in the 2022 NBA draft. Last year, Houston used four first-round draft picks, including the No. 2 overall selection on Jalen Green.

The Houston Rockets are reportedly trading Christian Wood to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the No. 26 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft and veterans Boban Marjanovic, Trey Burke and Marquese Chriss, per multiple reports.

Dallas is acquiring Christian Wood from Houston and sending the No. 26 overall pick to the Rockets, along with multiple players, sources said. https://t.co/fbxxAL7OGu

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 16, 2022

The Rockets are trading Christian Wood to Dallas for the 26th pick in the 2022 draft, Boban Marjanovic, Trey Burke and Marquese Chriss, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 16, 2022

The 26-year-old was in the middle of his second season, though it wasn't devoid of drama.

Rockets coach Stephen Silas benched Wood for missing his COVID-19 testing window ahead of the Jan. 1 game against the Denver Nuggets. The player then refused to re-enter the game in the second half after Kevin Porter Jr. had an argument with the staff and left the arena.

He was suspended one game. In 68 games for the Rockets last season he averaged 17.9 points and 10.1 rebounds.

While Wood has flashed skills since joining the Rockets, that locker room squabble was far from his first issue. There were some concerns about Wood in the pre-draft process after his one season at UNLV, and he bounced around the NBA before breaking out in 2019-20 with the Detroit Pistons and then inking a three-year deal in Houston.

“Lots of those guys who were drafted ahead of me aren’t in the league [anymore]. I’ve been to China, I’ve been cut, I’ve been told I wasn’t good enough. But I’m still here," he told Yaron Weitzman of The Ringer in 2020.

The Mavericks will hope another change of scenery gets the Long Beach, California native—who has one year and $14.3 million remaining on his contract—back on track.

A number of NBA teams remain interested in acquiring Houston Rockets big man Christian Wood this offseason, according to The Athletic's Kelly Iko:

"It’s obvious why teams have been intrigued with Wood in the past. He’s a unicorn of a big man. That interest hasn’t waned, even in the early weeks of the offseason, sources told The Athletic. Wood is talented enough to where the Rockets can’t let him walk without getting assets back if their tenure is headed for an ending."

Wood is set to make $14.3 million next season before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. 

The 26-year-old has elevated his game in each of his last two seasons in Houston. During the 2021-22 campaign, he averaged 17.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.0 block per contest while shooting 50.1 percent from the field and 39.0 percent from deep. 

The first four seasons of Wood's career were shaky. He played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans, never averaging more than 12 minutes per game in that span, also spending long stretches in the G League, including all of 2017-18.

During 2019-20 with the Detroit Pistons, Wood took on more of a workload, averaging 21.4 minutes per game, and his time on the floor paid off as he averaged 13.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and nearly a block per game.

His best season came in 2020-21, when he averaged 21.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. That said, he elevated his defensive and playmaking abilities this year. 

If the Rockets do trade Wood this summer, it's unclear if they would use their No. 3 pick in the 2022 draft to replace him. Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren, who is considered the best center in the class, could be selected before Houston is even on the clock. 

If he's available when it's time for the Rockets to make a selection, Holmgren would likely be the team's best choice. ESPN's Jonathan Givony noted he would help Houston's defense, which ranked last in the NBA this year, and would be an "ideal fit" next to Jalen Green. 

Otherwise, Alperen Sengun, a 2021 first-rounder, would probably be the next man up. 

Sengun averaged 9.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 20.7 minutes per game as a rookie. 

Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green gave a shoutout to The Ringer's Bill Simmons after he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team on Wednesday.

shoutout bill simmons my dawg fr🙏🏽

— Jalen Green🤍 (@JalenGreen) May 19, 2022

On April 13, Simmons spoke about Green amid a discussion on the NBA All-Rookie team. During those remarks, he spoke about why he voted New Orleans Pelicans' Herbert Jones to the first team over Green.

"F--k Jalen Green," Simmons said (h/t Sean Keeley of Awful Announcing).

"I don't care you're scoring 40 points and your team's 19-60. Congratulations. Herb Jones is like guarding dudes in real games.

"Now, the Houston people are going to be mad at me. I'm sorry. I like winning players, I'm sorry. Jalen Green will get there, it's just that team was 21-61 this year or whatever."

https://twitter.com/TheMindOfJDubb/status/1514228446595108870

The "f--k Jalen Green" part led to much criticism, including remarks from the Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green and Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid.

"How is it that this guy has a voice in deciding if Jalen Green will qualify for a super max deal?" Green wrote on Instagram (h/t Joseph Salvador of Sports Illustrated).

"He clearly says F Him, which sounds very personal btw. But he has a say in what someone earns? What work has he done in this life that qualifies him to have a say in an NBA players salary? @NBA."

Embiid also chimed in (h/t Cody Taylor of the Rookie Wire):

I go back to what I heard on a podcast about Bill Simmons ... It sounded like he had a grudge against somebody, saying, 'F Jalen Green.' If you're going to allow these types of people to vote on these awards, that's not fair. What if Jalen Green was in a position to earn a supermax (contract), or I don't know, an All-Star appearance? You've got someone sounding like that and has a lot of power. He can sway a lot of other media members and you've got someone saying that type of stuff. I don't think it's fair. I don't think it's OK.

Simmons did later say that he is "pro-Jalen Green" and that he ultimately didn't feel he was one of the best five first-year players in an "iconic rookie class."

"I think that's one of the best rookie classes we've had," Simmons noted.

Simmons also clarified his remarks in a follow-up tweet:

This is ridiculous. I think we were laughing during 80% of this. My point was: I’m always leaning toward a rookie like Herb Jones who was meaningfully contributing to a decent team over someone putting up stats on a bad team. Jalen is gonna be excellent. https://t.co/D4LEmDF2ae

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) April 13, 2022

In addition, the former ESPN.com writer responded to Green's tweet Wednesday.

Congrats! I’m still rooting for you, don’t let the fake news aggregators ruin it for us. I just liked 2022 Herb Jones more for first-team which was the whole point of the joke. Excited to see what you have in store for your 2nd year, good luck.

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) May 19, 2022

Green, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, made the first team alongside the Toronto Raptors' Scottie Barnes, the Cleveland Cavaliers' Evan Mobley, the Orlando Magic's Franz Wagner and the Detroit Pistons' Cade Cunningham.

The former NBA G League Ignite star averaged 17.3 points on 42.6 percent shooting this year. He averaged 29.3 points in his final seven games, including 41 in the finale against the Atlanta Hawks.

Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone says the team is open to trading the No. 3 pick in the 2022 NBA draft if a deal "makes sense."

"I'm definitely not gonna block them out," Stone told reporters after Tuesday's lottery drawing. "If they wanna talk, I'm always available to talk. ... If it's the case that they're interested in doing something, we're always available to listen. If there's something that makes sense for both teams, something will get done." 

#Rockets GM Rafael Stone says he’ll listen to other general managers who express interest in trading for the third-overall pick: “If there’s something that makes sense for both teams it’ll get done.” pic.twitter.com/Wyhr5amax2

— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) May 18, 2022

A top-three pick has not been traded since the 2018 draft, when the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks agreed to a swap that included the rights to Luka Doncic and Trae Young. The highest pick traded last year on draft night was No. 10 (Ziaire Williams).

Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith and Paolo Banchero are widely considered the top three players in the 2022 draft class. All three would fit into a young Rockets core, and they could also consider Purdue guard Jaden Ivey.

That said, there's a reason teams have tended to avoid trading down on draft night in recent years. Historically, the NBA draft is a top-heavy endeavor where the players drafted highest have the most success. While there are outliers, Holmgren, Smith and Banchero (and to a certain extent, Ivey) all have star-level potential that would make a trade back questionable.

Unless a young, proven player who fits into the Rockets' rebuild becomes available, look for them to stay where they are during the June 23 draft. 

Houston Rockets point guard John Wall is reportedly expected to pick up the $47.4 million player option in his four-year, $171 million contract for the 2022-23 NBA season.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported the news Thursday and noted the Rockets will once again try to move Wall, who didn't play at all during the 2021-22 campaign while awaiting a trade, during the offseason before the sides consider buyout options.

The 31-year-old University of Kentucky product was always expected to pick up the option because he's not going to land a base salary anywhere near $50 million if he enters free agency, so the financially safe move was to lock in next season's contract and then reevaluate the landscape.

Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire told Scotto on the HoopsHype Podcast a buyout is "more likely" than a trade because Houston isn't interested in taking on bad contracts, which would probably be necessary to move Wall's salary to another team.

The Rockets have built a promising core led by Christian Wood, Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr., and they don't have any anchor contracts on their books beyond next season. So they want to maintain that financial flexibility as they try to turn a corner toward contention.

Meanwhile, with Houston focused on those building blocks, there's no path for Wall to play a significant role within the rotation. That's why the sides mutually agreed to keep him sidelined until a solution could be found.

The five-time All-Star still looked like a player who could make an impact for a contender during a 40-game stint with Houston in 2020-21. He averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 2.0 threes and 1.1 steals while playing 32.2 minutes per game.

In September, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said the consensus among his NBA front-office counterparts is that Wall can still play at a high level.

"There's not a doubt in my mind about that, nor in other GMs'," Stone told reporters. "There's a lot of stuff that goes into constructing rosters, making everything work, that has nothing to do with how good you are. No one questions how good John is."

While the 2010 first overall pick can still make an impact, injuries late in his tenure with the Washington Wizards kept him from looking like the top-tier player he was in his prime.

Perhaps a season on the sidelines where he could focus on rest and recovery will help him bounce back, but there's too much uncertainty for any team to pay him $47.4 million next season, which is why a buyout is the likely endgame over the summer.

If Wall does hit the free-agent market, expect him to generate interest from several contenders if he's willing to sign a team-friendly, short-term deal.

Not only did the Los Angeles Lakers not have any interest in including their 2027 first-round pick in a hypothetical Russell-Westbrook-for-John-Wall trade with the Houston Rockets, but they also reportedly wouldn't even entertain a pick swap.

ESPN's Zach Lowe reported on his The Lowe Post podcast (h/t Jacob Rude of Silver Screen & Roll) that Houston would have considered a pick swap. However, the Lakers didn't reciprocate that interest.

Even prior to the deadline, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that the Purple and Gold did not want to trade this pick in the potential deal. Insider Marc Stein reported as much back in January.

A pick swap would have been a new twist, especially since it remains to be seen what each team's respective roster would look like and where their picks would land in a future draft. Alas, Los Angeles didn't even want to do that.

Rude suggested it was further proof Los Angeles' front office sees the current team as unfixable and didn't want to sacrifice any future assets as a temporary bandage.

To say the Westbrook acquisition hasn't worked out as planned would be quite the understatement, as the nine-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer has been a poor fit at times alongside the ball-dominant LeBron James and is shooting just 29.9 percent from three-point range on the season.

He has found himself on the bench in critical moments, and the Lakers are just 27-31 and ninth in the Western Conference standings. That is far from the championship-or-bust expectations that were in place at the beginning of season.

Yet there was no guarantee that trading for Wall would have been an improvement. He hasn't even played since April 2021, sat out the entire 2019-20 campaign and hasn't appeared in more than 41 games in a season since 2016-17.

He's a five-time All-Star, but durability is a major concern. There are also aspects of his game that are not that different from Westbrook, seeing as how he relies on his athleticism and is not a great shooter (32.3 percent from deep in his career).

Perhaps that uncertainty also played a role in Los Angeles turning down Houston even when it came to a pick swap.

Dennis Schroder is reportedly "on course" to finish the season with the Houston Rockets after a trade from the Boston Celtics earlier this month, per NBA reporter Marc Stein.

There is a March 1 deadline for buyout candidates to be on playoff rosters with a new team, but Stein reported that neither Schroder nor the Rockets want a buyout.

The 28-year-old has appeared in three games with Houston so far, averaging 12.0 points and 7.7 assists. 

Schroder signed a one-year, $5.9 million contract with Boston in the offseason, averaging 14.4 points and 4.2 assists in 49 appearances. He was sent to Houston alongside Enes Kanter Freedom and Bruno Fernando in exchange for Daniel Theis in a trade just before the Feb. 10 deadline.

Freedom was waived after the trade, while Fernando has played just 13 minutes with Houston.

There was plenty of speculation Schroder's time with Houston would also be short as the team looks to continue its rebuild behind Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr. and others. The Rockets have the worst record in the Western Conference at 15-43.

Schroder, meanwhile, could be a valuable asset for a playoff contender as he was with the Hawks, Thunder and Lakers during his career. Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported the Lakers had interest in Schroder if he became available on the buyout market.

It appears the guard will instead play out the year with the Rockets, hoping to improve his stock ahead of free agency this summer.