Report: Willie Cauley-Stein Agrees to 1-Year Rockets Contract; Last Played with 76ers

Willie Cauley-Stein is going to get an opportunity to play for the Houston Rockets next season.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the veteran center has agreed to a one-year deal with the Rockets and will compete for a roster spot during training camp.

Cauley-Stein split last season between the Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers. He was waived by the Mavs in January after they signed Marquese Chriss.

The Sixers signed Cauley-Stein to a 10-day contract on Feb. 24. The 28-year-old appeared in two games before being waived on March 3.

In 20 games between the two teams, Cauley-Stein averaged 1.7 points and 2.0 rebounds.

Prior to entering the NBA, Cauley-Stein had a successful three-year stint at the University of Kentucky. He was named to the All-SEC team and won SEC Defensive Player of the Year as a junior during the 2014-15 season.

The Wildcats reached the Final Four in each of Cauley-Stein's final two seasons with the program. They lost to Connecticut in the 2014 national title game and Wisconsin in the 2015 Final Four.

The Sacramento Kings made Cauley-Stein the No. 6 pick in the 2015 draft. He spent four seasons with the club before signing with the Golden State Warriors in July 2019.

The Mavs acquired Cauley-Stein from Golden State in January 2020 for a second-round pick.

The Rockets are still rebuilding, with Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. as the centerpieces. Cauley-Stein will compete with Usman Garuba and Boban Marjanovic to be the primary backup 5 behind Alperen Sengun.