Presumably to gain NBA G League affiliate rights, the Houston Rockets waived forward Trhae Mitchell shortly after signing him and used the empty roster spot to sign guard Pierriá Henry.
Teams can carry up to 20 players on their roster until next week’s roster deadline on the eve of the 2022-23 regular season, at which point rosters must be cut to a maximum of 15 players on standard contracts plus two on two-way deals. For many players waived in this process, the NBA team that had them on its roster for the most training camp days has rights to assign them to their G League club.
Thus, the Rockets are using the final days of this expanded roster window to cycle through players they would like to observe this season with Houston’s developmental affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers. Each NBA franchise is allowed to stash up to four “affiliate players,” and Henry and veteran center Willie Cauley-Stein appear to be strong candidates for that list with the Rockets.
My current preferences for the #Rockets:
Two-Way Spots (up to 2):
Darius Days
[Waiver Claim TBD]Affiliate Players (up to 4):
Willie Cauley-Stein
Trevor Hudgins
Pierria Henry
[TBD]
(Vipers already have Trhae Mitchell's rights) https://t.co/zRTg6rAllq— David Weiner (@BimaThug) October 13, 2022
Henry, a 6-foot-4 guard, played his last three years in the EuroLeague. The 29-year-old averaged 7.9 points, 4.2 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game in 2021-22 with Turkish side Fenerbachçe.
Mitchell, a 6-foot-6 forward, was eligible for the 2020 NBA draft following his senior season at South Alabama. The 25-year-old spent the past two seasons with RGV and played for the Rockets at the 2022 NBA summer league in Las Vegas. From 2018-19 through 2019-20, Mitchell was the only Division I player with at least 800 points, 400 rebounds, 160 assists, 70 steals and 100 blocks.
The #Rockets have signed guard Pierriá Henry and waived forward Trhae Mitchell.
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) October 12, 2022
