After a few weeks, the Houston Rockets have found a buyer for Kevin Porter Jr., a player who averaged 19.2 points in 59 games last season but has recently suddenly become redundant. The reason is the trial that will begin soon, with Porter Jr arrested physical violence on his (now former) girlfriend. The events date back to last month, when the player was in New York.
Immediately after the incident Houston had been looking for a not-so-easy trade, offering to repay the eventual buyer with draft picks. Coming forward, enticed by this very last point, were the Oklahoma City Thunder. Earlier Adrian Wojnarowski reported the details of the exchange, with the Rockets giving OKC both Porter Jr and two future second-round picks: Minnesota’s 2027 and Milwaukee’s 2028. Houston instead gets Victor Oladipo, expiring next summer, and Jeremiah Earl-Robinson.
Kevin Porter Jr will still not set foot in the Thunder: the franchise has already decided to cut him effective immediately. The move will force Oklahoma City to pay the player, who still has one year of a guaranteed contract for $16.5 million in salary. It is impossible to say whether Porter Jr, because of these behaviors, will ever set foot in the NBA again. It certainly would not be the first time that an athlete, guilty of similar offenses, has been reinstated: it just happened with Miles Bridges, who by the way also recently violated restraining orders by being arrested again.
Thunder will have to pay the $16.9M guaranteed left on Porter Jr. contract as they waive him. OKC gathered four second-round picks in acquiring and moving Oladipo’s $9.5M expiring deal this offseason. OKC has 15 first-round and 22 second-round picks over the next seven years.
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 17, 2023
Milan, Italy. A graduate in Labor Management and Communication for Organizations from Catholic University, I founded BasketUniverso in 2011. Yes, I root for Orlando Magic and do my best not to hide it.
