Rockets get McDaniels, Prigioni in separate deals
The Houston Rockets were again busy at the trading deadline, making a couple of deals to add some backcourt depth.
The big get for Houston is rookie guard K.J. McDaniels from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Isaiah Canaan and a second-round pick.
But the Rockets also got veteran Pablo Prigioni from the New York Knicks for Alexey Shved and two second-round selections.
McDaniels fell to the second-round in the draft last June, but has been one of the NBA’s top rookies this year, averaging 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 blocks in 25.4 minutes. He is shooting .399/.293/.756.
He signed a one-year deal, meaning he is going to become a rarity—a free agent entering his second year—and the 76ers didn’t want to pay what it would have cost to keep him.
Prigioni, meanwhile, is only in his third NBA season, but the 37-year-old is a seasoned international pro. He is averaging 4.7 points, 2.4 assists, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 18.5 minutes a game on .422/.374/.846 shooting.
Canaan had played in just 25 games this season and was averaging 6.2 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 14.8 minutes a game, shooting .405/.381/.762 in his second NBA season.
For Shved, it’s his third trade since August. He left Minnesota for Philadelphia as part of the Kevin Love blockbuster over the summer, then was traded to the Rockets in a team that sent Corey Brewer to Houston.
In 26 games overall, he is averaging 7.6 points and 1.9 assists in 13.2 minutes a game, but he was buried at the end of Houston’s bench—playing just 59 minutes in nine appearances since the Dec. 19 trade from the 76ers.
Next: Celtics Jump In Late, Get Thomas