Former Rockets forward Anthony Lamb, who played with Houston during the 2020-21 NBA regular season, is now technically back with the team after agreeing to a two-way contract on Wednesday. The 6-foot-6 forward has played with Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, throughout the 2021-22 campaign.
The Rockets have had an open two-way spot since converting rookie guard Daishen Nix to a standard multi-year contract in February.
Two-way contracts allow players to shuttle back and forth between the G League and the parent NBA club. However, with the Rockets fully healthy at the moment and with only 10 games left to play, it seems unlikely that Lamb will play much at the NBA level in the coming days.
Instead, the move was likely made with an eye on the 2022 offseason. By having Lamb on a two-way contract, the Rockets can make him a restricted free agent this summer, thus making Lamb easier to retain.
Lamb, now 24 years old, has averaged 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 33.9 minutes per game with the Vipers this season. He’s shooting 46.7% overall and 39.8% on 3-pointers.
The Houston Rockets are signing forward Anthony Lamb to a two-way contract out of their NBA G League Rio Grande Valley affiliate, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 23, 2022