Chuck Hayes to Rockets: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

Chuck Hayes is returning to where his NBA career began.

The veteran big man and the Houston Rockets agreed to a contract Sunday, a move that will help bring a toughness to their frontcourt. As noted by Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, the agreement signals a changing of the heart from Houston in the summer, which had backed out of a deal to sign Hayes as a player to instead offer him an assistant coaching position.

“They had some cap stuff they were concerned with," Calvin Andrews, who represents Hayes, told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle in July. "We didn’t get into a lot of details. It’s a tough situation. It’s very disappointing. This is the business. These things happen.

Hayes instead signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in August but was waived among the team's final preseason cuts. The former undrafted free agent spent his first six NBA seasons in Houston, starting more than half of the team's games in four of those campaigns. While never much of an offensive juggernaut, he has consistently brought a unique brand of toughness defensively despite his size limitations.

Hayes spent the 2014-15 season with the Toronto Raptors in a limited role, averaging 1.7 points and 1.8 rebounds while appearing in 29 games. He set a career low with 8.8 minutes per game and has started only 11 total games since leaving Houston for Sacramento in 2011.

With Dwight Howard entrenched at center, there's no way Hayes' return will come with a massive stats boost. The Rockets also have young bigs Clint Capela and Montrezl Harrell coming off the bench, so minutes for Hayes will be limited—especially once Donatas Motiejunas comes back from his back injury.

But this move may be a chance for Houston and Hayes to get what they wanted back during the summer. The Rockets will have a mentor to help all their young bigs, while Hayes still gets to be an active player, even if "active" doesn't mean getting playing time.

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