This is almost better news for the Rockets than the report that Dwight Howard has agreed to sign in Houston.
Royce White, the talented but troubled first round draft pick of the Rockets in 2012, has been traded to the Sixers, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Philadelphia will receive the draft rights to international prospect Furkan Aldemir and cash in addition to White, while the Rockets will clear White’s $1.7 million from the books in exchange for “future draft considerations.”
White didn’t play at all last season for the Rockets, and was very open publicly about an anxiety disorder which prevents him from flying at times, among other things.
Houston suspended White at one point last season for failing to report, but eventually convinced him to play in the D-League where he ended up averaging 11.4 points and 5.7 rebounds in 16 games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
If you’re wondering why the Sixers would bother taking a risk on White, the reason is that there’s a Houston connection in the Philadelphia front office.
The new GM of the Sixers, Sam Hinkie, came from the Rockets, where he was the executive VP of basketball operations prior to getting the gig in Philly. He likely was involved in the choice to draft White, and believes there’s still hope for him with a new team to contribute at the NBA level.
