Last week, the Houston Rockets struck a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder, trading Kevin Porter Jr. and two future second-round picks in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. This was a move the Rockets made in order to get rid of Porter, as he had become a distraction to the team amid his ongoing domestic assault investigation.
With the 2023-24 NBA season set to begin shortly, the Rockets decided to waive Robinson-Earl on Monday in order to get their roster down to 15 players, first reported by The Athletic's Shams Charania.
The New York Knicks selected Robinson-Earl, 22, 32nd overall in the 2021 NBA Draft and then traded him to the Thunder. Starting in 36 of the 49 games he played in during his rookie season, the former Villanova Wildcat averaged 7.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 41.4 percent from the floor. He had missed about half the season with a fracture in his foot.
This past year, Robinson-Earl missed about two months' worth of action due to a sprained ankle and was unable to fully crack the Thunder's nightly rotation.
Given all the moves Oklahoma City had made this offseason and the fact that they had Chet Holmgren preparing to make his debut in the frontcourt, Robinson-Earl had become expendable. After the trade to Houston, it was a matter of time before they waived him given their roster size so close to the start of the new season.
Unless picked up by another team, Robinson-Earl will become an unrestricted free agent. Any other team in the league besides the Rockets and Thunder will be able to sign him, potentially to a two-way contract.
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