Rockets Rumors: Chris Clemons Agrees to 3-Year Contract with Houston
The Houston Rockets are signing rookie guard Chris Clemons to a three-year deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
ESPN's Tim MacMahon provided the details of the contract:
Clemons has appeared in 20 games with the Rockets, averaging 4.8 points and 0.3 assists. He's shooting 43.0 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Charania noted Houston had exhausted the 45 days it was allowed to keep Clemons on a two-way contract. As a result, the team needed to offer him a full-time contract in order for him to remain on the roster.
When Gerald Green broke his foot in October, head coach Mike D'Antoni floated Clemons as one of the players who could help fill Green's role in the rotation. The 22-year-old earned an endorsement from James Harden earlier this month for his performance.
"He made some shots, some big-time shots," Harden said of Clemons after the Rockets' 115-107 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 14, per the Houston Chronicle's Glynn A. Hill. "His confidence continues to grow as he gets more minutes and as he gets more comfortable on the floor. When his number’s called, he’s ready to go."
Clemons' contributions don't look great because he's only getting 8.2 minutes per game. His scoring average stretches out to 27.1 points per 100 possessions, according to Basketball Reference.
If the Rockets weren't willing to give him a roster spot, then another team likely would've stepped in to sign the former Campbell star.
