The Houston Rockets are exploring trade options for shooting guard Kevin Porter Jr., who was charged with felony assault and strangulation charges earlier this week. Porter is being accused of attacking his girlfriend in a New York City hotel Monday, fracturing a vertebra in her neck and cutting her face above the right eye.

Porter was released from police custody on Tuesday on $75,000 bond and will have to return to court in New York on Oct. 16. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday that the league had opened an investigation into Porter’s actions in order to determine if he can play through court proceedings.

“The allegations here are horrific, no question about it,” Silver said. “But I don’t know anything more about the actual facts, other than reading those allegations. We’re not in season. … We have a bit of time to decide whether it would be appropriate for him to go to training camp or not.”

According to The Athletic, the Rockets have contacted several teams for a trade involving Porter, offering draft compensation in return. Houston has prepared for a very competitive 2023-24 season and seems to be trading Porter away for a player who can contribute immediately. Porter is not expected to join the team in training camp in October.

It could be extremely difficult for the Rockets to trade away Porter because of the issues facing him beyond the basketball court. The guard was very effective last season, scoring 19.2 points per game, but it will be difficult to convince a team to take a player facing felony charges.

Porter signed a contract extension with the Rockets last October and is scheduled to receive $15.86 million for the next four years. A suspension or ban from competition, as well as prison time if he is convicted, would likely nullify most of the money Houston or any other NBA team would have to pay him as part of this deal.

The Rockets were in Washington playing the Wizards on Wednesday evening, a game during which Kevin Porter Jr.—fresh off his one-game suspension—hit a buzzer-beater to give Houston a 114-111 win.

The clip of the shot can be seen below:

Porter, along with teammate Christian Wood, was disciplined for poor behavior during Saturday’s loss to Denver.

Afterwards, Porter called game:

The Rockets, currently the cellar-dwellers of the Western Conference at 11-28, are currently rebuilding with young players.

The Wizards dropped to 19-19 on the season and hold the ninth of 10 playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

The Houston Rockets have had a very unremarkable season, with a paltry 16 wins compared to 47 losses. They lost star big man Christian Wood for a part of the season, they parted ways with Demarcus Cousins and John Wall is now out for the remainder of the season. It’s reasonable to assume when James Harden was traded earlier this season from the Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets, one assumed that there wouldn’t be a lefty combo guard dropping a 50-point double-double in the Toyota Center for a really long time. Boy, was everyone wrong.

Kevin Porter Jr, traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers for just a second-round pick, scored 51 points and added 11 assists in the Rockets’ 143-136 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Porter Jr. became the youngest player of all time with a 50-point, 10-assist game, surpassing LeBron James, who did it at age 23. Porter Jr. was also the fourth-youngest player of all time to score 50 points, behind elite scorers James, Devin Booker and Brandon Jennings. This was a truly remarkable game for a player who was fined over 50 grand just a day ago, for entering a strip club.

Porter Jr is clearly a very talented player. In just his second season in the NBA and first with the Rockets, he averaged 15.2 points per game, as well as 6.2 assists per game on 41% from the field. His issue lies off the court. Going back to his college days, he’s frequently been suspended or fined for disorderly conduct and poor actions. If Porter Jr. can get his head on straight, he could be the start of a great young nucleus going forward. With an assuredly high draft pick this upcoming draft due to poor play this year, star center and most improved candidate Wood and Porter Jr. could lead the Rockets to being a contender again in just a few seasons. They own the majority of Brooklyn’s draft capital as well. The future appears to be very bright in Houston.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to trade Kevin Porter Jr. to the Houston Rockets for a protected future second-round pick.

The trade comes after the team decided to trade Porter rather than waive him after he got into an altercation with a team official, the latest problem to arise surrounding the young athlete. Last Friday, Porter went on a tirade and threw food after learning that his locker was given to Taurean Prince. Prince and Jarrett Allen were acquired by Cleveland, who was part of the four-team trade that sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets.

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The 2019 first-round pick has yet to play in a game this season for the Cavaliers. The second-year guard finished his rookie season with 9.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists over 50 games last year.

The Rockets will pay the minimal price of a second-round pick for Porter’s raw skill and potential, despite recent mishaps in his personal life. Houston’s assistant coach, John Lucas, will work with the guard. Lucas has helped several NBA and NFL players overcome personal issues.

In October 2020, Porter posted on his Instagram a black square captioned, “Do you ever wish to see the end of your time?” The post was deleted after Cavaliers officials and teammates reached out to the 20-year-old.

Recently, the guard was arrested on November 15 because of a crash that saw him flip his Mercedes SUV. He admitted that he had been drinking earlier in the evening. Police searched the vehicle and found a loaded handgun and a small amount of marijuana.

A grand jury declined to indict the guard on a felony weapons charge after proving that he was unaware of the gun being in the car. A judge dismissed the misdemeanor pot charge. Police also determined that he was not impaired at the time of the accident.