The Houston Rockets continue to fill out their roster in anticipation of training camp, as it was announced yesterday that they signed free agent forward Julian Phillips to a non-guranteed deal.
The 6’8” Phillips is still just 22 years old, and he was the 35th pick ouf of Tennessee in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. He played two and a half seasons for the Bulls before he was traded this past year to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who subsequently declined to pick up his option. That brings Phillips to Houston.
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He carries career averages of just 3.6 points and 1.5 rebounds for his career, averaging about 11 minutes per night. He is considered an elite athlete, but raw from a skills standpoint. It’s possible a change of scenery and some time with the Rockets, who have a plethora of young talent hoping to keep developing, could change things a little bit for Phillips, who has been an underachiever to this point in his career.
The signing of Phillips brings the Rockets to 19 players on their training camp roster. An NBA team can have up to 21 players for its camp roster, which it must get down to 15 before the start of the season. Here’s how things look right now:
Guaranteed contracts (12)
Non-guaranteed / Partially guaranteed standard contracts (4)
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Jae’Sean Tate (partially guaranteed)
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Julian Phillips (contract details indicate he’s competing for a roster spot rather than holding a fully guaranteed deal).
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Two-way contracts (3)
Exhibit 10 / Camp deals
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Oscar Tshiebwe (contract designation has not yet been officially announced, but it’s widely expected to be an Exhibit 10).
