The Rockets announced on Saturday that they have waived four players on non-guaranteed training camp contracts, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.
The four players — all of whom could be headed to the G League to play for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers — are Vernon Carey Jr., Ricky Council IV, Tyrese Hunter and Cameron Matthews.
Hunter, a 6’0″ guard, and Matthews, a 6’7″ forward, went undrafted earlier this year out of Memphis and Mississippi State, respectively.
As a senior last season, Hunter averaged 13.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 32 games (34.0 MPG), posting a shooting line of .415/.401/.774. Matthews, meanwhile, averaged 7.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.4 steals in 29.4 minutes per game across 34 appearances as a fifth-year senior.
Council holds recent NBA experience, having spent the past two years with the 76ers, who waived him in late July. The 24-year-old wing was expected to land with the Nets, but that deal fell through, and he wound up signing a training camp deal with Houston on Friday.
Carey, a former second-round pick, holds three years of NBA experience. However, he has been out of the league for the past two seasons, most recently suiting up for Karşıyaka Basket in Turkey during the 2023/24 campaign.
Houston’s roster appears to be set for the regular season, with 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts and all three two-way spots filled. Barring a cost-cutting trade, the Rockets can’t add a 15th standard player until later in the season due to their financial situation — they’re hard-capped at the first apron and only about $1.25MM below that threshold.