Rockets to Cut Ties with Veteran Forward: Report

By Alex Kirschenbaum

Contributing Sports Writer

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The Houston Rockets are waiving a veteran forward to accomodate a new free agent signing.

Per Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, Houston plans to ink power forward Tyler Smith to a two-way contract. The Rockets will cut two-way shooting guard/small forward Kevon Harris to bring in the former Milwaukee Bucks draft pick.

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Smith was selected with the No. 33 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by Milwaukee, following a stint with the now-defunct developmental squad G League Ignite.

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The 6-foot-11 pro was inked to a standard roster deal as a rookie in 2024-25, but he was frequently toggled between the Bucks and their NBAGL affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. He played for the Herd so often that he was named to the 2024 NBA G League Next Up Game.

Milwaukee cut him after he was outplayed in training camp this preseason by Exhibit 9 signing Amir Coffey. Smith's G League rights were initially selected by the Orlando Magic's NBAGL affiliate, the Osceola Magic, in the 2025 NBA G League Draft. But he was soon moved to the Capital City Go-Go — the Washington Wizards' G League squad — where he has toiled up till now.

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As a rookie, Smith averaged 2.9 points on .480/.433/.750 shooting splits and 1.1 rebounds in 23 contests with the Bucks proper.

This year, the 21-year-old has been averaging 10.5 points on a .384/.243/.846 slash line, 4.6 boards, 1.5 dimes, and 0.8 swipes in eight G League games thus far, all with the Capital City Go-Go. Now, he'll look to bolster those numbers with the Rockets' NBAGL affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Harris went unselected out of Stephen F. Austin State University in the 2020 NBA Draft. He linked up with the Toronto Raptors' G League club, the Raptors 905, where he played from 2020-22. He then agreed to two-way deals with the Orlando Magic from 2022-24. He spent 2024-25 with the College Park Skyhawks, NBAGL affiliate for the Atlanta Hawks. The 6-foot-5 swingman, 28, has appeared in 36 NBA games total (all with Orlando), averaging 4.0 points on .445/.372/.756 shooting splits, 2.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.5 steals a night.

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