Rockets Ink Free Agent Forward Julian Phillips
rockets-sign-julian-phillips
The Houston Rockets have signed free agent Julian Phillips, the team announced Friday. Contract terms were not disclosed, though league sources familiar with Houston’s cap outlook expect a non-guaranteed deal.
Phillips, 22, was selected 35th overall in the 2023 draft. The 6’6” small forward averaged 4.6 points and 2.1 rebounds across 79 games (14.2 minutes) with Chicago during the 2024-25 season, but his role shrank last year, when he posted 2.9 points and 1.0 rebound in 8.9 minutes over 48 appearances for Chicago and Minnesota.
The former Tennessee standout spent his first two-and-a-half NBA seasons with the Bulls before being dealt to the Timberwolves ahead of February’s trade deadline. Minnesota declined a $2.4 million team option in June and chose not to extend a qualifying offer, allowing Phillips to enter unrestricted free agency.
Across 167 career games (seven starts), Phillips owns averages of 3.6 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting 43.5% from the field, 32.0% from three and 77.1% at the foul line.
Because he has three years of NBA service, Phillips remains eligible for a two-way contract. If his agreement is an Exhibit 10, Houston could convert it to a two-way slot before opening night. The Rockets currently sit just over the luxury-tax threshold with 15 players on standard contracts after re-signing Isaiah Crawford and Jae’Sean Tate. Should the club aim to move back below the tax, Phillips, JD Davison and Oscar Tshiebwe are viewed as the most vulnerable, setting up a potential competition for the final roster spot during training camp.
Source: Hoops Rumors
