O Cavaliers are sending second year swingman Kevin Porter Jr. to Rockets, Shams Charania reports from The Athletic (via Twitter)
In return, the Cavs will receive a future protected choice from Houston’s second-round draft, adds ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter) ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweets that the choice is among the top 55 protégés and will most likely never be passed on to Cleveland.
As Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor noted, the main business benefit for the Cavs is to open a squad spot and withdraw Porter’s guaranteed rookie salary for this season ($ 1.72 million) and 2021/22 ($ 1 , 78 million). Since Houston can absorb Porter’s salary in a traded player exception, Cleveland won’t have to take a player back into the deal.
After throwing a tantrum in the locker room on January 15, when he discovered that his closet had been relocated, Porter was instructed by the Cavaliers to clean his closet and wait to be dismissed or changed.
Porter, who initially dropped out of the 2019 draft due to out-of-court concerns, had a difficult second season. In November, he was arrested on charges of mistreatment of a firearm (crime), as well as driving without a license and carrying marijuana (both offenses). Last month, a grand jury cleared Porter of all charges.
Porter has not suited the Cavaliers all season. During a solid debut release, however, the No. 30 2019 draft pick out of USC impressed with averages of 10.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.2 APG and 0.9 SPG in 50 contests.
The Rockets, now in asset accumulation mode after sending perennial MVP candidate James Harden for the Nets in a four-team exchange last week, they are carrying a pamphlet about a talented player in this business. Hope, according to Fedor and MacMahon (Twitter link), is that veteran player development coach John Lucas can help Porter resume his career in Houston.
In order to open a list for Porter, the Rockets will dispense with injured guard Chris Clemons, by Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link)
Clemons’ minimum wage for 2020/21 was not guaranteed initially, but Houston will be forced to pay it in full after suffering an Achilles break at the end of the season. The Rockets are in a better position to eat that money after the Harden deal – the team’s salary is now comfortably below the luxury tax line, rather than above it, and the club is no longer facing its strict limit.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Luke Adams contributed to this story.