A day after Kevin Porter Jr. was formally charged with felony assault and strangulation for an alleged domestic violence attack on his girlfriend, the Houston Rockets are trying to trade the fifth-year guard.
Houston is willing to attach draft picks to Porter for any team that wants to take him, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Those sources say the Rockets have contacted multiple teams offering draft compensation as incentive to receive Porter, who has the 2023-24 season slated for $15.9 million in Year 1 of a four-year, $82.5 million deal. In deal scenarios using Porter’s contract, the Rockets would be using his salary to target a player under contract who can play immediately and help the team, league sources said.
Houston is trying to salvage something from a horrific situation. (Porter’s $15.9 is guaranteed for this coming season, however, only $1 million is guaranteed in the final three years of his deal.)
It’s impossible to imagine any team taking on Porter, even with draft compensation, or giving up any player of quality to land him — Porter is a toxic asset after this arrest.
Porter appeared in a New York City court on Tuesday and was charged with two domestic violence felonies following an attack on his girlfriend — former WNBA player and free agent Kysre Gondrezick — that left her bloodied from a deep cut on her face and with a fractured neck vertebra, prosecutors told the judge. According to the criminal complaint, Porter punched Gondrezick with a closed fist multiple times — she was asleep in the hotel bed and awoke to being punched — then put his hands around her neck to strangle her. Gondrezick eventually ran out into the hallway, where hotel security became involved and eventually called the police.
“This is a serious domestic violence case,” Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Mirah Curzer told the judge, via the Associated Press.
No team will take on the public relations nightmare of bringing in Porter, even with draft picks attached.
The most likely outcome is the Rockets waive Porter, although the league and team may choose to wait until after the legal situation plays out before taking action. Last year Miles Bridges was away from the Hornets all season following his arrest and eventual no-contest plea in a domestic violence case (although he will be back with the team at training camp).
Right now, it’s hard to imagine Porter setting foot on an NBA court again.
Or being traded.