Rockets make decision on Kevin Porter Jr. after arrest
Mar 17, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. (3) looks on during the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Carmen Mandato/POOL PHOTOS-USA TODAY Sports
The Houston Rockets sound ready to cut all ties with Kevin Porter Jr.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Wednesday that the Rockets are now working to trade the 23-year-old guard Porter along with draft-pick compensation. The decision comes in the wake of Porter’s arrest on felony charges for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend and leaving her with a fractured neck vertebra.
Porter was arrested on Monday after the alleged assault on his girlfriend, ex-WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick, at a New York City hotel. The reported details of the incident were very troublesome, and prosecutors ended up charging Porter with felony assault and strangulation. The NBA has also launched an investigation with commissioner Adam Silver calling the allegations against Porter “horrific” in a press conference Wednesday.
“The allegations here are horrific, no question about it, but I don't know anything more about the actual facts other than reading those allegations.”
Adam Silver on allegations that Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. attacked girlfriend Kysre Gondrezick.pic.twitter.com/UeU5GDat7w
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 13, 2023
On the court last season, Porter averaged 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game (albeit on a total tank job of a Rockets team). Porter is still under contract for $15.9 million in each of the next three seasons (with a full guarantee in 2023-24, a partial guarantee in 2024-25, and a non-guaranteed deal in 2025-26). Meanwhile, if the Rockets were to waive Porter outright, they would still owe him all of his guaranteed money.
In all likelihood, no team wants anything to do with Porter right now, which is why Houston may be trying to add draft sweetener to incentivize someone to take on Porter’s contract (without necessarily keeping him). Porter has already had multiple behavioral and legal issues in the past, and it is very possible that his NBA career could be over, no matter what the Rockets manage to do with his contract.
