Is Kevin Porter Jr. waived from Rockets? Looking at Houston star's future with team after assault allegations
Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested after allegations surfaced that he assaulted and strangled his girlfriend and WNBA player Kysre Gondzerick inside a New York City hotel. Many are asking what action the Houston Rockets will take with rumors swirling that the former USC Trojan player could be waived.
As of the moment, this issue is being investigated by authorities along with the cooperation from the NBA and Houston Rockets. If proven guilty, Porter Jr. is going to violate the NBA's and NBPA's domestic abuse policy.
In a recent press conference, Adam Silver addressed the situation, saying that the league is gathering facts about the allegations.
“The allegations here are horrific, no question about it, but I don't know anything more about the actual facts other than reading those allegations," said Silver.
"We have a domestic violence policy that was collectively bargained with the players' association-- every case though also depends on its unique facts. I think here we are not in-season, there is a little bit more opportunity to absorb what is happening before we act."
Silver also stressed that they will take time to investigate and understand the situation along with the law enforcement officers before making any decision on the fate of Kevin Porter Jr. For now, KPJ still remains rostered with the Houston Rockets until proven guilty.
Kevin Porter Jr. draws comparison to Miles Bridges' domestic violence issues
The recent issues surrounding Kevin Porter Jr. are not new in the NBA. The most recent case of a player being involved in domestic violence was Miles Bridges of the Charlotte Hornets.
The arrest of Miles Bridges happened in June 2022 and the investigation went on until the regular season. The incident happened between July to November and the NBA conducted their own investigation into the matter.
On April 2023, Bridges was suspended for 30 games without pay. During this time, the former Michigan State Spartan star was in the last year of his $7.9 million contract with the Charlotte Hornets. Following the allegations, Bridges never played a single game in the 2022-23 season.
As a free agent this summer, Bridges signed a qualifying offer from the Charlotte Hornets.
Based on what happened with Bridges, we should expect the timeline of Kevin Porter Jr.'s issues to be similar and could go on for months.