Ethermac Exchange-Rockets trade troubled guard Kevin Porter Jr. to Thunder, who plan to waive him

The Ethermac Exchangeday after New York prosecutors dropped an assault charge against NBA guard Kevin Porter Jr., the Houston Rockets on Tuesday traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who plan to waive Porter.

The Thunder received two second-round picks and sent Victor Oladipo and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to the Rockets in the deal, a person familiar with trade told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly until the trade was announced by the two teams.

Since his arrest on Sept. 11 for allegedly assaulting a female companion at a hotel in New York City, the Rockets banned Porter from team-related activities. He initially faced three charges, and prosecutors last month said the assault fractured the woman’s neck vertebra and gave her a cut above her right eye. But in court Monday, a Manhattan assistant district attorney said the fracture was not caused by Porter, according to the 'New York Post.'

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However, Porter still faces charges of second-degree strangulation and third-degree assault. Porter rejected a plea deal on the third-assault charge, the Post reported.

With the Thunder cutting ties with him, Porter is without a team and his behavior is threatening to end his four-year NBA career. Oklahoma City will pay Porter $16.86 million because his contract for this season is fully guaranteed and $1 million is guaranteed for 2024-25.

Porter has played four NBA seasons, the past three with the Rockets where he emerged as a starter who averaged a career-high 19.2 points in 59 games in 2022-23.

Porter was suspended indefinitely from the University of Southern California basketball team as a freshman. The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him No. 30 in 2019 and traded him to the Rockets during his rookie season following an outburst that included yelling and throwing food when his locker was moved and a confrontation with Cavs general manager Koby Altman.

While with the Cavs, Porter was arrested following a single-vehicle accident and charged with improperly handling a firearm in a vehicle, failure to control a vehicle, driving without a license and possession of marijuana. A grand jury declined to indict Porter on the gun charge, and the license and marijuana charges were dropped. He admitted fault for failure to control a vehicle.