Rockets to bring back David Nwaba on 3-year, $15 million deal

Less than an hour into free agency, the Houston Rockets are bringing back one of its best defenders.

According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Rockets will ink Nwaba to a three-year, $15 million deal.

Nwaba played in 30 games this season for the Rockets, averaging a career-best 9.2 points per game to go with 3.9 rebounds per game.

Before he was lost for the season to undergo wrist surgery, Nwaba was one of the best defenders and bright spots on a team that did not have a lot to celebrate.

Now, with a fully healed wrist, Nwaba enters the fray as a veteran presence to a team with several young pieces and they tread towards rebuilding the team.

At $5 million per year, Nwaba also has a very team-friendly contract that the team could look to trade at the right time to acquire assets that will make more sense down the line.

According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, the deal holds a team option for the third year, which is the summer the Rockets will have a max salary slot freed up after John Wall’s contract ends.

With Nwaba and Theis deals lining up, the Rockets now have all 15 slots on its roster filled. The team has one two-way spot still available that it will look to fill after Summer League.