The Houston Rockets made a pair of deals ahead of the NBA trade deadline Thursday afternoon.
The most significant deal came when the Rockets traded Eric Gordon to the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-team trade with the Memphis Grizzlies. But before sending Gordon to Los Angeles, the Rockets made a deal with the Atlanta Hawks.
The Rockets acquired Justin Holiday and Frank Kaminsky from Atlanta. In exchange, the Hawks received Garrison Mathews and Bruno Fernando — as first reported by ESPN. The Rockets also received a pair of second-round picks.
Mathews and Fernando were solid contributors for the Rockets over the previous two seasons. He revised his career after joining the Rockets in December 2021. In 110 games, Mathews shot 35.5 percent from behind the arc while averaging 7.9 points.
His best game with the Rockets came on Dec. 12, 2021. He lifted Houston to a 114-104 home victory over James Harden and the Brooklyn Nets with 19 points on 5-of-13 shooting.
Fernando was a solid defensive contributor off the bench after the Rockets traded for him last February from the Boston Celtics.
Fernando rejoins the Hawks after starting his career in Atlanta as a second-round pick (no. 34 overall) during the 2019 NBA Draft. The Hawks acquired his rights on draft night from the Philadelphia 76ers.
He finished his career with the Rockets after appearing in 41 games, averaging 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks.
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