At Monday’s deadline to finalize opening rosters for the 2026-27 regular season, the Houston Rockets announced the conversion of forward Julian Phillips and center Oscar Tshiebwe to two-way contracts.
Both players originally signed non-guaranteed contracts with Houston in 2026 free agency, and the two-way deals will allow each player to shuttle back and forth between the Rockets and Houston’s NBA G League developmental affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers.
Phillips and Tshiebwe each played for the Rockets in Houston’s recently completed 2026 preseason, though their appearances were quite brief (statistics).
An athletic wing player, Phillips was selected at No. 35 overall by Boston in the 2023 NBA draft following his freshman season at Tennessee.
In 167 career NBA games with seven starts, Phillips has averaged 11.4 points (43.5% FG), 4.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.6 3-pointers made per 36 minutes played.
Phillips, who is listed at 6-foot-8 and 201 pounds, is now 22 years old.
Tshiebwe, 26, went undrafted in 2023 following his senior season at Kentucky. In 49 career NBA games with seven starts, Tshiebwe has averaged 16.6 points (61.3% FG), 15.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per 36 minutes played.
Tshiebwe is listed at 6-foot-9, 265 pounds.
In a related move to comply with the NBA’s regular-season roster limits, the Rockets waived guard Sean Pedulla (previously on a two-way deal). Each team is allowed up to three two-way players, and Tshiebwe and Phillips will join rookie guard Quadir Copeland as Houston’s two-way players to begin the new season.
Two-way players can participate in up to 50 (of 82) regular-season games at the NBA level. To get beyond 50 or be eligible for the playoffs, a two-way player would need to eventually be signed to a standard contract.
The Rockets will begin their 2026-27 regular season with Wednesday’s home opener versus the Dallas Mavericks. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. Central from Toyota Center, and the game will be televised and streamed regionally on Space City Home Network (SCHN) and nationally via NBA League Pass.
Houston loved what they saw from Phillips and Tshiebwe since they joined the team. Good reinforcements for the frontcourt from the two-way ranks for the Rockets. https://t.co/vzBbUTDXW0
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) October 19, 2026
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets convert Oscar Tshiebwe, Julian Phillips to two-way contracts
