Rockets cut ties with 4 players, including former 76ers athletic guard

The Houston Rockets had to clear some final roster spots from the training camp setup to the regular season group.

That meant on Saturday, they waived four players. All four could end up in the G League with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

The four cuts:

• Ricky Council IV
• Tyrese Hunter
• Cameron Matthews
• Vernon Carey Jr.

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Council has the most recent NBA experience of the bunch. He played for the Philadelphia 76ers in each of the past two seasons.

Carey has actually played three NBA seasons as a former second-round pick. But he hasn't been stateside in the last two years. He missed 2024-25 with injury, and the year prior, he played in Turkey.

Hunter just completed his final season at Memphis before going undrafted. He averaged 13.7 points and 3.6 assists per game for the Tigers.

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Matthews just finished his college career, too. He was at Mississippi State, where he scored 7.1 points with 6.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

The Rockets got their roster fully set for the regular season with this move.

They stayed busy heading into Sunday, too, signing Kevin Durant to a contract extension.

Now it's time for Houston to set their eyes on chasing an NBA title.

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