The Houston Rockets are waiving guard JD Davison, it was announced today by the team.
Davison was on a two-way deal last year, playing in 28 games with the varsity, but getting just 7 minutes per night in those contests. He averaged 2.5 points and 1.3 assists. In his most extended action of the year in the season finale against the Memphis Grizzlies, Davison scored 9 points with 10 boards, 7 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks
in 26 minutes of playing time.
During the offseason, Davison upgraded his two-way deal to a standard NBA contract, with the Rockets giving him $2.5 million over two years. However, only $82k of that was guaranteed according to Spotrac, making this not that huge of a loss financially for Houston.
Davison did flash at times, so it made sense for the Rockets to think 23-year-old guard had a possible bright future, but with the offseason signing of Marcus Smart into the guard rotation, Davison became expendable. In addition, Fred VanVleet will be back this year, and the Rockets will be looking for 20-25 minutes per night from Reed Sheppard as well, leaving little room for Davison at point guard. And at just 6’1”, minutes at the two aren’t an option either. The Rockets also signed two-guard Bogdan Bogdanovich this offseason, making the overall backcourt even more crowded. So this move does make sense for the Rockets.
With Davison being so young and with some of the flashes he’s shown, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him catch on elsewhere. He’s an ideal young guard on a two-way for a team that needs some depth.
Good luck, JD!
