Second-year sharpshooter Armoni Brooks will sign a standard contract with the Houston Rockets for up to four seasons in length, as first reported Thursday by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The first season of the contract is guaranteed (2021-22), and each future year includes a trigger date for Brooks’ salary to become guaranteed for that season.
On Wednesday, reports emerged that Brooks was having his Exhibit 10 training camp contract converted to a two-way deal. According to salary cap guru Keith Smith of Spotrac, this was part of a phased process leading to Thursday’s news of a multi-year standard contract.
“Can’t convert [Brooks] to a new contract from a training camp deal,” Smith tweeted. “So, they convert to a two-way first, and then sign him to a new deal from there. Good front office work by the Rockets.”
A 6-foot-3 guard, Brooks averaged 11.2 points (38.2% on 3-pointers) and 3.4 rebounds in 26.0 minutes last season. The contract’s financial terms were not disclosed, but given Brooks’ young age (23) and relatively small NBA sample after going undrafted, it appears likely to be at or near the league minimum — perhaps similar to Jae’Sean Tate’s contract.
As of midday Thursday, it was not yet clear what Houston’s corresponding roster move would be. By Monday (i.e. before the start of the regular season), NBA teams must trim down their rosters to 15 players on standard deals, and the Rockets are already at 14 players on regular deals plus the non-guaranteed contract of Dante Exum. To accomodate Brooks, someone on a standard contract will need to be traded or waived.
The Rockets are signing guard Armoni Brooks to a four-year deal, sources tell ESPN. He averaged 11 points on a two-way deal for Houston a season ago. The first year of contract is guaranteed, and then trigger dates on guarantees for successive years moving forward.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 14, 2021
With Armoni Brooks getting a full contract, that means someone on the roster will have to be moved (waived or traded) before Monday. #Rockets🚀 https://t.co/aMWX22F4fX
— Chris A. White 🐻 (@fyrebear) October 14, 2021
