The Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder agreed to a trade Tuesday that sent Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. to OKC in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Multiple second-round picks were involved as well, as the Rockets did what was needed to offload Porter — who was arrested for an alleged attack on girlfriend Kysre Gondrezick, a former WNBA player, at the Millennium Hilton near the United Nations on Sept. 11 in New York.
On Tuesday, Gondrezick denied the allegations, according to the New York Post.
The Thunder are expected to immediately waive Porter, Wojnarowski reported, but get two second-rounds picks from Houston in exchange for acquiring Porter — draft capital in exchange for helping the Rockets get away from the problematic guard.
Per Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, the Jazz and Rockets were in touch about a potential deal following the Porter trade, possibly involving Oladipo and additional Houston second round picks, as the Rockets look to add more win-now talent to their roster.
According to Fischer, that potential deal would have seen the Jazz send guard Talen Horton-Tucker to Houston.
Sources told Fischer that the Jazz have “seen continued progress from former No. 5 pick Kris Dunn — who’s found somewhat of a resurgence in Salt Lake City — and would like to afford plenty of opportunity for 2023 first-round selection Keyonte George to handle the controls of Utah’s offense, as well,” rendering Horton-Tucker available.
That the Jazz have looked at unloading someone from their crowded guard rotation isn’t all that surprising. Utah had reportedly looked to upgrade that position earlier this offseason, when guard Jrue Holiday was on the market after being acquired by the Portland Trail Blazers as part of the trade that sent Damian Lillard to Milwaukee.