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Rockets sign forward Jermaine Samuels Jr. to a two-way contract

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated02 Aug 2023

Houston Rockets sign forward Jermaine Samuels Jr. to a two-way contract

The Houston Rockets are signing free agent forward Jermaine Samuels Jr. to a two-way contract, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. Samuels Jr., 24, went undrafted out of Villanova University in 2022.

On Oct. 15, 2022, the 6-foot-7 wing was waived by the Indiana Pacers on the same day he inked an Exhibit 10 contract. A couple of weeks later, Samuels Jr. signed with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Indiana’s G-League affiliate.

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The Massachusetts native made 29 starts in 32 appearances with the Mad Ants in the 2022-23 season. Jermaine Samuels Jr. averaged 18.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.0 block, and 34.8 minutes per game. The former Wildcat also shot 66.8% from the field and 45% outside the arc.

Samuels Jr. finished 10th in points (585) in the G League regular season, third in total rebounds (295), sixth in true shooting percentage (73.5%), third in minutes played (1,113), fourth in field goals (235), sixth in win shares (3.1), 10th in offensive win shares (1.5), and sixth in defensive win shares (1.5).

During the 2023 NBA 2K24 Summer League in Las Vegas, the forward averaged 11.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 27.3 minutes in six outings Houston.

Samuels Jr. shot 44.2% from the floor and 35.3% from 3-point range as well. If he can avoid training-camp roster cut, the forward will have the chance to play with the Rockets next season.

Houston Rockets sign forward Jermaine Samuels Jr. to a two-way contract; Samuels Jr. joins fellow two-way signees Darius Days and Trevor Hudgins

Samuels Jr. now joins forward Darius Days and guard Trevor Hudgins as the Rockets’ two-way players. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, the maximum number of two-way players each NBA team can sign increased from two to three.

Former Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet signed a three-year, $128.5 million contract with the Rockets in July. Approximately $83.65 million was guaranteed at signing. Not to mention, his deal includes a 15% trade bonus.

Last month, the Rockets completed a five-team sign-and-trade with Dillon Brooks, who inked a four-year, $86 million contract with Houston. The Memphis Grizzlies traded Brooks to Houston; the Atlanta Hawks sent Alpha Kaba to the Rockets; and Houston dealt Usman Garuba and TyTy Washington Jr. to Atlanta.

Moreover, Houston traded Kenyon Martin to the Los Angeles Clippers, sent Josh Christopher to Memphis, and dealt Patty Mills to Oklahoma City; the Clippers traded Vanja Marinkovic to the Grizzlies; and the Thunder traded cash to Atlanta.


As part of a five-team trade, Houston traded guard Josh Christopher to Memphis, the Hawks sent Alpha Kaba to Houston; the Rockets traded TyTy Washington Jr., 2025 and 2028 second-round picks to Atlanta, and Kenyon Martin Jr. to the Clippers; and Houston traded Patty Mills, a 2024 second-rounder, a 2029 second-rounder, and a 2023 second-rounder to OKC.

Plus, the Clippers traded their 2026 and 2027 second-round picks to Houston, L.A. dealt Vanja Marinkovic to the Grizzlies, and OKC sent $1.1 million to Atlanta. Afterwards, the Hawks traded Washington Jr. to OKC for Mills.

In July, guard Aaron Holiday signed a one-year, $2.35 million contract with the Rockets. His $2,346,614 salary for 2023-24 will become fully guaranteed on Jan. 10, 2024.

Other players to sign deals with Houston include center Jock Landale and veteran forward Jeff Green.

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