Rockets sign Greek forward Kostas Papanikolaou to two-year deal

When you look at the Rockets bench right now, it's pretty slim pickings. The top bench players from last year, Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik, both find themselves on other teams, and what remains is a hodge-podge of journeymen, unproven young players, and something in between (Donatas Motiejunas). Today, Daryl Morey added another name to the mix, signing Kostas Papanikolaou to a two year contract.

The Greek swingman was drafted in 2012 by the Portland Trail Blazers, and sent to the Rockets in the Thomas Robinson trade last summer. He is long (6'8"), fundamentally sound, and can shoot from distance, and will bring some much needed spacing from the second unit.

The deal is a two year contract, with Papanikolaou set to earn $4.8 million in the first year and a non-guaranteed $4.6 million in the second year. The size of the contract indicates that the Rockets think very highly of him, and you can expect Papanikolaou to open the season in the rotation, potentially earning a serious role as the season goes along.