As part of the latest trade James Harden is sending to Brooklyn, the Houston Rockets take in Victor Oladipo of Indiana, Dante Exum of Cleveland and Rodions Kurucs of the Nets.
In terms of roster spots, it comes down to three players coming in and only one going out, which will put the Rockets over the NBA limit. So someone else will have to allow the trade to be legal, and it turns out that someone will be the 25-year-old big man Bruno Caboclo.
Per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, the Rockets will relinquish Caboclo on Thursday before trading ends.
Caboclo, who re-signed with Houston in the off-season, has only retired from quarantine since the return of veteran center DeMarcus Cousins. Between Cousins, the starter Christian Wood and smaller lineups with Jae’Sean Tate or PJ Tucker in the middle, there was apparently no way for Caboclo to crack Stephen Silas’ rotation. At 6 feet-9 and nearly 230 pounds, Kurucs can also fit into the equation.
In six games this season, Caboclo averaged 2.8 points (47.1% FG) and 2.3 rebounds in 6.0 minutes. His minimum wage would not have been fully guaranteed until 27 February, so the release of Caboclo also helps the Rockets stay under the hard salary cap and luxury tax thresholds.