who wants royce?!?
[h1]
Rockets leave White off summer roster, consider trades[/h1]
Posted on July 3, 2013 at 10:41 am by
Jonathan Feigen in
General,
Royce White,
Summer league
CommentsComments(1)
Comments(52)
|
E-mail
|
Print
Royce White isn't on the Rockets summer league roster. (Nick de la Torre / Chronicle)
As the Rockets head to Orlando, Fla., for the start of summer league, the name most conspicuous is the one missing from the roster.
After not playing in an NBA game in his rookie season, Royce White will not play or practice with the summer-league team, either. Less certain is whether he will ever appear on a Rockets roster again.
The Rockets have had talks about trading White, a person with knowledge of the conversations said. It was not clear whether he was not part of the summer-league team because of the chances he could be moved before next season.
If the Rockets trade White without bringing back salary, they could open cap space to keep more of their roster from last season without worrying that signing Dwight Howard as a free agent would take up most of their remaining available cap space. White is scheduled to earn $1.72 million next season.
The Rockets, who made their pitch to Howard on Sunday, are waiting on his decision, which could come as early as Friday.
If the Rockets sign Howard, they are expected to shift from an emphasis on high-upside – if high-risk – prospects such as White to the pursuit of more predictable veterans.
The Rockets would not expect to receive much for White after getting the rights to two players selected in the second round and two second-round picks for Thomas Robinson, the fifth player taken in the 2012 draft. The extra picks, however, could help facilitate a deal in which a team with cap room agrees to take on White to pick up other assets.
Because the second season of White’s contract is guaranteed, he would count against the Rockets’ cap whether he remains on the roster or they release him. The team has until next season to pick up an option on the third year of his contract, a step that can be considered extremely unlikely before he has played in an NBA game. If the Rockets don’t take that step and he plays well enough next season to show promise, he then would be a free agent.
White, the 16th pick in 2012, said via Twitter he was not asked to play with the Rockets’ summer-league team.
“I would’ve loved to play in the summer league,” White wrote. “There’s been no communication to me about being wanted there.”
White added that communication with the Rockets has gone through the NBA Players Association for several months, calling it a “delicate situation.”
“Everyone’s doing the best they can,” White wrote.
Rockets officials would not comment.
White last practiced with the Rockets on Nov. 10 and then played 16 games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers but did not appear in any of the team’s six playoff games. He has not been a part of the workouts at Toyota Center that have involved many of last season’s other rookies.
Donatas Motiejunas took three days off after the season before returning for workouts. He has since returned to Lithuania to play for his national team. Terrence Jones, Patrick Beverley and Tim Ohlbrecht have been regulars at Toyota Center.