The Houston Rockets waived forward Matur Maker, forward/center Ray Spalding, and guard Shamorie Ponds on Saturday night as part of their moves to get underneath the NBA’s regular-season roster limit.
NBA teams are allowed to have up to 20 players in training camp, but can only carry a maximum of 15 players under standard contracts and two Two-Way players. With Houston’s 2019-20 regular season set to begin next Thursday and the preseason complete after Friday’s victory in Miami, immediate cuts had to be made.
As long as they are not claimed on waivers by other NBA teams and added to their final roster, the Rockets will have the ability to keep all three of Saturday’s released players within the organization by assigning them to their G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. For players without a recent G League stint, NBA teams can designate up to four players cut during camp as “affiliate players.”
Maker and Spalding did not play for the Rockets in the preseason, while Ponds averaged 2.3 points in 6.7 minutes per game.
The Rockets also released forward Jaron Blossomgame and guard Michael Frazier on Thursday as part of their moves to get beneath the roster limit. Houston does not have the G League rights to Blossomgame, since he played for a different G League team last year.
