The Rockets finished their roster housekeeping by converting Oscar Tshiebwe and Julian Phillips to two-way contracts before Wednesday night’s season opener against the Dallas Mavericks.
Tshiebwe, the 2022 National Player of the Year, signed with Houston in July after spending the previous three seasons with the Pacers and Jazz. In 49 career NBA games, he has averaged 7 points and 6.5 rebounds. During the preseason, he appeared in all three Rockets games and put up 6 points and 4 rebounds in 11 minutes per game.
His college production was far louder. Tshiebwe averaged 16.9 points and 14.4 rebounds in two seasons at Kentucky after starting his college career at West Virginia under Bob Huggins.
Phillips also landed on a two-way deal as Houston made its final moves. The forward spent the previous three seasons with the Bulls and Timberwolves after going 35th overall in the 2023 draft. A top-15 recruit in 2022, the 22-year-old has played in 167 NBA games and has averaged 3.6 points and 1.5 rebounds.
He scored six points in the preseason, hitting both of his 3-point attempts.
Tshiebwe and Phillips will join Qadir Copeland as Houston’s three two-way players to open the season. To clear space, the Rockets waived guard Sean Pedulla, who was last year’s G League Rookie of the Year after leading Ole Miss to the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
NBA teams are allowed to carry three two-way players alongside 15 standard roster spots. Those players can move between the Rockets and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, though they can be active for no more than 50 regular-season NBA games and cannot play in the postseason unless they are converted to standard contracts. Their salaries also do not count against the cap.
Houston has had real success with two-way deals before, especially early on after the rule was introduced in 2017. Danuel House is the clearest example, becoming a rotation player for the team in 2019. More recently, though, the returns have been thin.
The moves also set up part of Isaiah Crawford’s $2.5 million contract to become guaranteed. The rest becomes guaranteed on Jan. 10, the same day Jae’Sean Tate’s $3 million contract becomes fully guaranteed.
The last roster decision the Rockets still have to make comes on Reed Sheppard’s $14 million fourth-year option, which must be exercised by Oct. 31.
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