Danuel House Jr declines Houston Rockets offer, club to sign James Nunnally

Danuel House Jr. will return to the Rockets G-League affiliate, Rio Grande Vipers, for the remainder of the season.

On Tuesday Danuel House Jr, through his agent Raymond Brothers, turned down multiple 3 year contract offers from the Houston Rockets. It looks as if he is going to bet on himself. As reported by Tim MacMahon of ESPN and Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:

Agent Raymond Brothers: Rockets initially offered nonguaranteed, 3-year minimum deal. Offered a guaranteed 3-year minimum today. “We rejected both offers and asked the Rockets to convert him for the remainder of the season,” Brothers said. They want House to be RFA this summer. https://t.co/zEX7PRWiIX

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) January 16, 2019

In 25 games with the Rockets this season he averaged 9 points per game on 39 percent shooting from 3-point range. In the 12 games he started, he averaged 10.8 points per on 48.6 percent from downtown. He had become a valued member of the rotation, especially with the injuries on the perimeter. His 3 point stroke and solid defense allowed him to stay on the floor and kept him there, as the Rockets scored 7 points more per 100 possessions with House on the floor. That said, he is a fringe rotation player on a championship squad and since those are Houston’s aspirations, GM Darryl Morey will be able to find his replacement. It seems he already has:

With Chris Paul, Clint Capela and Eric Gordon sidelined and Danuel House back to G League, the Rockets plan to sign guard James Nunnally to a 10-day contract, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @WatchStadium.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 16, 2019

His replacement

In 13 games of limited action with the Minnesota Timberwolves, James Nunnally shot 38.5 percent from 3. That percentage, plus his ability to catch and shoot makes him a perfect fit in Mike D’Antoni‘s system, which seems to always maximize the talents of players of his ilk. Minnesota’s +6 net rating (Offense and Defense) with Nunnally on the floor is comparable to Houses floor impact (+7) with the Rockets, albeit in a smaller sample size. The Rockets are familiar with him and scheduled a meeting with him during the 2018 summer free agency period while he was with the European Club, Fenerbahce, so he has been on their radar for sometime. Should Shams’ reporting materalize, this is a great pick up commiserate to what the Rockets lost.

“Plug and Play” should be one of the mantras used to describe Darryl Morey as Nunnally fits right in. Welcome to Houston James!