So many in fear, the end – of – season Achilles injury for second – year guard Chris Clemons may cost a roster spot for former guard Gerald Green, at least for the time being. The team’s plan to release Green was first reported by Jonathan Feigen at the Houston Chronicle.
The Rockets have relied on a tough salary cap after Christian Wood got a sign and a trade, and the end-of-season injury caused Clemons his contract to be full of promise. As a result, it became very difficult to sign a contract for Green – which was signed just before training camp – under the hard cap.
While Green played well in the preseason minutes, he was a strong contender for his release due to the abundance of Houston wing depth off the bench (Ben McLemore, David Nwaba, and Sterling Brown).
A native Houstonian, the 35-year-old Green could be a strong candidate to return to the team later in the season, once the pro-rate minimum wage rate becomes low enough to fit under the hard cap. However, it is certainly possible that Green played well enough in the pre – season to secure a contract from another team before Houston can offer one.
In two shows, Green averaged 11.5 points (50.0% on 3-pointers) and 4.0 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game off the bench.
Greens could bounce back faster if a trade-off is made to clear wages, such as a hurdle involving James Harden’s unruly All-Star guard. On Saturday, however, there was nothing to be seen in that regard.