Rockets opening up roster spot with release of DeMarcus Cousins
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As expected, the Houston Rockets agreed Tuesday to release veteran big man DeMarcus Cousins, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. Yet, with the return of usual starting center Christian Wood (right ankle sprain) clearly not imminent, that leaves an obvious void in minutes.
Since Wood’s Feb. 4 injury, Cousins had averaged nearly 26 minutes per game for the Rockets. Even if recent signing Justin Patton proves worthy of rotation minutes, he would only be replacing half of Houston’s usual duo in the middle, Wood and Cousins.
As such, it’s certainly possible that general manager Rafael Stone could use the open roster spot from Cousins’ release to bring in outside help. Per Kelly Iko of The Athletic, Dewayne Dedmon and Ersan Ilyasova are among current free agent big men who are potential targets of the Rockets.
Another factor that could boost the odds of a Houston signing is the opening of the NBA’s annual window for 10-day contracts. Even if the Rockets are hesitant to guarantee a contract for the full season, they could use a 10-day spot to give a player a trial run. Conveniently, the expiration of that 10-day period likely lines up with Wood’s return date.
This is worth noting, with the #Rockets freeing up a roster spot due to the release of Cousins.
If they don't want to commit to someone for the full season (i.e. for after Wood returns), or if they just want a trial run, they could start by signing someone to a 10-day. https://t.co/XfZRpsAfeE
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) February 23, 2021
It’s worth noting Houston will not actually have an open roster spot until Cousins’ period on waivers ends, which should be on Wednesday or Thursday afternoon. Thus, they will likely have to go at least one game (Wednesday in Cleveland) without any reinforcement to the current roster, since Cousins might not be off in time to open up a roster spot.
Even if Cousins is gone in time, it seems doubtful Stephen Silas would play any new signing before putting him through a practice.
Another option to fill those minutes, as the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen reports, could be to promote a player who is currently assigned to the NBA G League — such as rookie forward KJ Martin. If that were the case, the Rockets might keep Cousins’ roster spot vacant until closer to the March 25 trade deadline, in case it could facilitate a deal.
The Houston Rockets are releasing DeMarcus Cousins, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. This allows the four-time All-Star to find a team elsewhere and garner interest on the open market.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 23, 2021
Whatever the case, the Rockets clearly have incentive to improve their roster as soon as possible. With Monday’s blowout loss at home to Chicago, the Rockets (11-18) are 0-8 since Wood’s latest injury, which represents the franchise’s longest losing streak in over 20 years. Moreover, with Oklahoma City owning a lightly protected right to swap Houston’s 2021 first-round draft pick with Miami’s choice, any incentive for the Rockets to “tank” for better draft positioning is limited.
Thus, the plan for Stone, Silas, and the Rockets is simply to improve the on-court results. It appears likely that a new signing and/or a promotion from the G League could be part of that strategy.
