Houston Rockets Sign Former NBA Lottery Pick

For the first time in 15 years, the former No. 9 overall pick in the NBA Draft didn't have a job this season. But the Houston Rockets will be taking 35-year-old D.J. Augustin off the unemployment line for the last two weeks of the season.

The Houston Rockets plan to sign veteran point guard D.J. Augustin to a minimum rest-of-season contract, source confirms to @TheAthletic. Team had to have at least 14 players under contract by 3/23.

— Kelly Iko (@KellyIko) March 22, 2023

The Rockets will sign the 14-year veteran to fill a roster spot that they needed to fill. Per NBA rules, the team had to have at least 14 players under contract by March 23rd. 

This is Augustin's second stint in Houston, as he was with the team for about a year until last season's trade deadline. And it's home for him. 

Augustin last February: "From day one, since I got traded (to the Rockets,) I was ecstatic. I always dreamed of playing (for the Rockets), 14 years. To be here and be a part of this young team and being home with family and everybody is the best feeling.” https://t.co/QWwaWkeNIK

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) March 22, 2023

"From day one, since I got traded (to the Rockets), I was ecstatic," he said last year while still with the team. "I always dreamed of playing (for the Rockets), 14 years. To be here and be a part of this young team and being home with family and everybody is the best feeling.” 

The 35-year-old was the 9th overall pick of the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2008 NBA Draft, and has averaged 9.5 points and 3.9 assists throughout his nearly 1,000-game career, almost exclusively as a backup point. He's played for 11 different teams. 

Photo: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports