The Houston Rockets are trading forward James Ennis to the Philadelphia 76ers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The trade will be in exchange to swap rights to a 2021 second-round pick. Philadelphia owns three second-round picks in 2021 (their own, New York’s, and Denver’s) and it’s unclear which pick they have agreed to swap rights on.
With the acquisition of Iman Shumpert on Wednesday, it’s likely Ennis was going to see a significant dip in playing time. This trade also opens a roster spot for buyout targets like Wesley Matthews, who the Rockets have reportedly had interest in.
It’s also worth noting that this deal gets Houston significantly closer to being under the luxury tax. They would save $2.4 million, and are now just $2.4 million about the tax threshold. This will be something to monitor as the Rockets chase buyout targets. Owner Tilman Fertitta is apparently not interested in entering the repeater tax, so it may be a play on Houston’s part to duck the tax entirely or open a roster spot for free agent pickups.
Either way, Ennis has not been a worthwhile signing for Houston so this trade makes sense from an on-court perspective.
