Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. has engaged in early extension chat with Houston, according to a conversation between ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Tim MacMahon on Lowe’s podcast The Lowe Post.
“I’ve heard there have been some very, very, very, very, very, very, very preliminary talks about talking at some point in the future, but some openness to a deal there,” Lowe said (h/t to HoopsHype for the transcription).
“I think there are mixed opinions internally,” MacMahon respond. “And, you know, frankly, externally the opinion I get most often is the Rockets should not give him an extension.”
Since being drafted with the No. 30 pick out of USC in 2019, Porter has had a solid statistical NBA career, mired by some questionable behind-the-scenes behavior. He spent his rookie year with the Cavaliers before being offloaded to the Rockets in January 2021 following a locker room outburst. During the 2021/22 season, Porter averaged 15.6 PPG, 6.2 APG, 4.4 RPG and 1.1 SPG across 61 games for the Rockets, all starts.
There’s more out of Houston:
- Elsewhere on the same Lowe Post podcast, Lowe and McMahon revealed they consider veteran Rockets guard Eric Gordon a “lock” to be dealt away from the team. McMahon suggested that Gordon could fetch a first-round pick in a deal. The 33-year-old was a key contributor to several contending Rockets teams led by James Harden, earning Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2016/17. He averaged 13.4 PPG, 2.7 APG, and 2.0 RPG across 57 games during the 2021/22 season for a rebuilding Rockets team that appears poised to prioritize a youth movement for the foreseeable future.
- Second-year Rockets guard Josh Christopher has been exhibiting leadership and growth during his 2022 Summer League stint, writes Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Head coach Stephen Silas has been hopeful that the 20-year-old, selected with the No. 24 pick out of Arizona State in 2021, would develop defensively, particularly on rotations and as a rim protector. Iko notes that Christopher has thus far displayed improvement in those departments in Summer League. “I’ve been in the gym working, so to be able to come back to Vegas and play ball again, it’s nostalgic almost,” the 6’3″ guard said of his return to Summer League. “It’s good to be on the floor.”
- Second-year Rockets big man Usman Garuba has suffered a grade 2 left ankle sprain that will sideline him for all of Summer League, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Imaging on the injury indicated it was severe enough that the 20-year-old would not be able to log time with Houston’s Summer League club. Feigen notes that various injuries and time spent in the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols limited Garuba’s on-court role with the Rockets during his rookie season. He was drafted with the No. 23 pick in 2021 following a successful four-year stint with Real Madrid.
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