Houston Rockets Release 3 Players Before NBA Season

The Houston Rockets have waived three players.

Nov 1, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Nate Hinton (14) with teammates before the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets concluded the preseason on Thursday evening when they beat the San Antonio Spurs by a score of 129-107 (at home).

They finished the preseason with a 3-1 record in four games.

On Saturday, the Rockets waived three players to finalize their roster for the 2024-25 NBA regular season.

Via Adam Spolane of SportsRadio 610: "The Rockets waived Matt Bradley, Nate Hinton and Jermaine Samuels Jr. They currently have 14 players on their roster plus three guys on two-way contracts"

The Rockets waived Matt Bradley, Nate Hinton and Jermaine Samuels Jr. They currently have 14 players on their roster plus three guys on two-way contracts

— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) October 19, 2024

Hinton is coming off a season where he appeared in 15 games with the Rockets.

He averaged 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds per contest while shooting 42.3% from the field in 15 games.

The 25-year-old has spent part of three seasons in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks (and Rockets).

Jul 12, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Houston Rockets guard/forward Nate Hinton (41) dribbles the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Samuels is coming off his rookie season in the NBA with the Rockets.

He averaged 1.4 points per contest while shooting 64.3% from the field in 14 games.

Jul 14, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jermaine Samuels Jr. (00) dunks against the Washington Wizards during the fourth quarter at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Bradley played five seasons of college basketball for Cal and San Diego State.

He spent last year overseas.

Apr 3, 2023; Houston, TX, USA; San Diego State Aztecs guard Matt Bradley (20) shoots the ball against Connecticut Huskies guard Andre Jackson Jr. (44) during the second half in the national championship game of the 2023 NCAA Tournament at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Rockets will open up the regular season on October 23 when they host LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets in Texas.

Last season, they were the 11th seed in the Western Conference with a 41-41 record.

While the Rockets did not make the NBA playoffs, they showed significant improvement from the prior season and were 5.0 games back of the Golden State Warriors for the final play-in tournament spot.