Kofi Inkoom
The OKC Thunder and the Houston Rockets have reached a trade agreement, as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
In this deal, Oklahoma City will acquire guard Kevin Porter Jr. and two future second-round draft picks, while Houston will receive guard Victor Oladipo and forward/center Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.
The Thunder will promptly release Porter, and they will gain the 2027 second-round pick from the Timberwolves and the 2028 second-rounder from the Bucks through this trade.
Kevin Porter Jr. had faced legal issues in September related to assault and strangulation charges involving his girlfriend, former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick.
The Rockets decided to part ways with him shortly after these legal troubles began, and although a second-degree assault charge was dropped due to insufficient evidence, Porter still faces charges of second-degree strangulation and third-degree assault.
The Rockets’ objective in trading Porter was to find a player who could contribute on the court immediately.
Victor Oladipo is in the process of recovering from a patellar tendon injury in his left knee, so it remains uncertain how he will fit into the team’s plans, but Jeremiah Robinson-Earl will offer added depth to the Rockets’ frontcourt.
Once the trade is finalized, the Rockets will have 16 players on standard contracts, with 14 having fully guaranteed salaries, one on a partial guarantee (Aaron Holiday), and one on a non-guaranteed deal (Boban Marjanovic).
To comply with roster limits, they may need to waive or trade a player by Monday, and Oladipo might be the one affected if his recovery extends into the regular season.
Additionally, the Oklahoma City Thunder will be responsible for certain amounts in dead money for Kevin Porter Jr.: $15,860,000 in 2023-24 and $1,000,000 in 2024-25 if Porter is waived before the season opener. It is important to note that there is a possibility of the league voiding Porter’s contract.
The Thunder had a roster dilemma this autumn, as they had 18 players under standard contracts competing for just 15 regular-season roster spots.
By trading Oladipo and Robinson-Earl for a player they intended to waive immediately, they reduced their roster to 16 players, leaving one more cut or trade necessary before the opening night.
Although acquiring Porter might not enhance Oklahoma City’s public image due to the allegations against him, the team’s plan is to part ways with him promptly while gaining two more future draft picks in the process.
Earlier in the offseason, the Thunder also secured two future second-round selections when they engaged in a salary-dump deal with the Heat, involving Oladipo. This effectively means they’ve added four second-round picks by taking on players from Miami and then trading them to Houston.
In the process of waiving Porter, the Thunder will absorb a dead money cost of $15.86 million for this season as aforementioned, along with a $1 million partial guarantee for the 2024/25 season.
The remaining portion of Porter’s four-year, $63 million-plus contract was non-guaranteed, relieving Oklahoma City of any further financial obligations beyond the $16.86 million. Additionally, the Thunder generate a $1.9 million trade exception as a result of this transaction.
On the other side, the Rockets stand to save some money in the trade and also create a new $4.5 million trade exception of their own.
It’s worth noting that Robinson-Earl, owed $1.9 million this season, has a team option of $1.99 million for the 2024/25 season, allowing Houston to retain him at a minimal cost for two seasons.
Robinson-Earl, who will celebrate his 23rd birthday next month, made appearances in 43 games for the Thunder last season, with 20 starts.
He posted solid averages of 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in a part-time role, while also displaying an ability to make three-pointers with a career 3PT% of .344. However, he found himself lower in the pecking order in OKC’s frontcourt, especially with the return of Chet Holmgren to action.
The Thunder and Rockets have been frequent trade partners in recent years, going back to the Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook exchange in July 2019.
They’ve collaborated on trades during the 2021 and 2022 offseasons, and both were involved in the five-team deal that sent Dillon Brooks to Houston earlier this year.