Report: Rockets won’t renew 10-day contract for Willie Cauley-Stein

Due to NBA roster rules, the Houston Rockets recently signed veteran big man Willie Cauley-Stein to a 10-day contract. Cauley-Stein has played most of the 2022-23 season with the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers, Houston’s NBA G League affiliate.

Now, it appears Cauley-Stein may soon be going back there. As first reported by Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston, the Rockets won’t be offering a second 10-day contract to the 28-year-old center. That will make Cauley-Stein eligible to be signed by other NBA teams — and if he is not signed, a return to the Vipers could be in play.

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With three centers already on the roster in starter Alperen Sengun and backups Usman Garuba and Boban Marjanovic, it wasn’t as if the Rockets signed Cauley-Stein to fill a potential need. Rather, the team simply had to sign someone to meet the league’s requirement for 14 standard contracts, and rewarding Cauley-Stein was a nice touch after he spent a year with Houston’s developmental affiliate.

In an obvious rebuilding situation, Houston’s priority is to evaluate younger options that are already on its roster. Thus, adding a player like Cauley-Stein with no expectations of playing time made sense.

NBA source: Center Willie Cauley-Stein will not return to the Rockets on a second 10-day contract.

— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) March 8, 2023

Now, as was the case after Houston’s trade deadline moves, the team can be below the 14-player roster limit for up to two weeks. Thus, with no path to minutes, there wouldn’t seem to be much of a reason to keep Cauley-Stein around and languishing at the end of an NBA bench (and paying him an NBA salary) at a time in which the Rockets aren’t required to have that roster spot filled.

When the two-week clock next expires in late March, general manager Rafael Stone will have to make another roster move for the Rockets at that time. He could bring Cauley-Stein back for a second 10-day stint, or another external move may be made, instead.