The Rockets exercised Tate's (ankle) $7.57 million team option for 2024-25 on Saturday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Houston's decision to retain Tate is somewhat surprising given that he looked to be a fringe rotation player toward the end of the 2023-24 season before he was shut down in April with a right ankle sprain. However, the 28-year-old brings value in his ability to defend multiple positions and is comfortable taking on a lower-usage role, which makes him an ideal fit next to higher-priority offensive options such as Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith and Alperen Sengun. He should be fully recovered from the ankle sprain well in advance of training camp -- if he's not healthy already -- and depending on what the complexion of the Houston roster looks like in the aftermath of the offseason, Tate could resurface as a more consistent part of head coach Ime Udoka's rotation.
Rockets' N'Faly Dante: Agrees to two-way deal with Houston
Rotowire
Dante has agreed to a two-way contract with the Rockets, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Dante put in averages of 17.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.9 swats per contest during his senior year at Oregon, but the 6-foot-10, 260-pound big man could have a tough time adjusting to the NBA. While he does have good defensive instincts, he's not particularly comfortable sliding his feet on the perimeter, and he hasn't developed much of a shooting stroke. Expect him to spend a lot of time with Houston's G League affiliate.
The Hawks are trading Griffin to the Rockets in exchange for the No. 44 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft on Thursday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
After being a first-round pick by Atlanta in the 2022 NBA Draft, Griffin saw a minimal role in his second season with the team. In 2023-24, the 20-year-old forward averaged 2.4 points in 8.6 minutes across 20 bench appearances in the regular season. as he spent much of the season out with an ankle injury or in the G League. Trading Griffin was likely done to make room in the forward rotation after the Hawks drafted Zaccharie Risacher No. 1 overall, but there is no guarantee for minutes in Houston either.
Sheppard was selected with the third overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Rockets.
Sheppard should add a jolt of elite perimeter shooting to the Rockets while sharing reserve playmaking responsibilities with Amen Thompson. It's easy to envision Sheppard running two-man action with Alperen Sengun, or Sengun finding Sheppard for open looks coming off a variety of off-ball screens. The guard out of Kentucky is also a smart and active defender, though his 6-foot-2 frame will limit his upside on that side of the ball.
