Rockets Adding Veteran Wing

The Houston Rockets have reached an agreement with free agent guard/forward Josh Okogie, per NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN. It’s a one-year deal worth about $3.1 million, which lines up with the veteran minimum for a player of Okogie’s experience.

Okogie, who turns 27 in September, split last season between Phoenix and Charlotte. He arrived in Charlotte via the Nick Richards trade back in January and suited up for a total of 40 games between the two teams.

His averages weren’t eye-popping (7.1 points, 2.8 boards, 1.2 steals in just under 16 minutes a night), but Okogie did shoot a respectable 44 percent from the field and 35 percent from deep. And when he was on the floor for the Hornets, good things tended to happen. Charlotte posted a +2.6 net rating in his minutes, compared to a brutal -13.7 when he sat.

That small sample of effectiveness clearly caught Houston’s eye. The Rockets are loaded with offensive talent, and Okogie gives them another proven perimeter defender to throw into the mix.

The Hornets had initially kept Okogie’s contract on the books past June 30, as his $7.75 million salary for 2025-26 would have become guaranteed. The two sides agreed to push back that guarantee date to July 15 while Charlotte shopped him around.

Nothing materialized, and Okogie was waived last week. Now he’s got a fresh start with Ime Udoka’s group and a chance to carve out a role on a team with serious upside.

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