Report: Rockets trying to trade Kevin Porter Jr. along with draft compensation

Following the news of Kevin Porter Jr.’s arrest for assaulting his girlfriend, Shams Charania is reporting that the Houston Rockets are looking to trade Porter, while also including some draft compensation, to a willing partner.

Porter has just one guaranteed season on his four-year, $82.5 million deal, which would technically make him a valuable asset on the market, but the optics of acquiring him for any team aren’t exactly great and Houston is likely going to have to include enough draft capital to make it worthwhile.

The Rockets will be targeting someone who can help them now, but haven’t closed the book on any options, with Shams saying:

“In deal scenarios using Porter’s contract, the Rockets would be using his salary to target a player under contract who can play immediately and help the team, league sources said.

The Rockets are keeping all options open with the future of Porter, a league source said.”

The report goes on to say that any team acquiring Porter would likely release him immediately, making his contract with one guaranteed year an expiring one at the end of this coming season, so the money would come off the books.

If Rafael Stone can pull this off and get a useful player in return, I’d be extremely surprised. I just can’t see any team willing to take such a huge reputation hit in order to gain an expiring deal.

The NBA is withholding comment until an invesitgation is complete, with Commissioner Adam Silver saying:

“The allegations here are horrific. No question about it. But I don’t know anything more about the actual facts other than those allegations.

“We’re still now in the process of gathering information.”

Porter is not expected in Rockets training camp and has in all likelihood played his last game in H-town.