Rockets Ex Austin Rivers on Kevin Porter Jr.: 'That Door's Got to Be Closed'
When the Houston Rockets traded for Kevin Porter Jr. back in 2021 from the Cleveland Cavaliers, they knew they were taking a risk.
Porter Jr. was traded for a measly second-round pick that was highly protected ... essentially a way for the Cavs to give him up for free after getting into a disagreement with the team.
The Rockets opened a door for Porter Jr. when it appeared the rest of the league had closed it. But now, former Rockets guard Austin Rivers believes that door is shut and locked after his arrest last week in New York City.
Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr.
© Scott Wachter, USA TODAY
“That door's got to be closed,” Rivers said on The Ringer NBA Show. “I don't even want to be that guy. But, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, three times, four times, five times, six times… we're like past chance seven at this point. I remember talking to guys in the Houston Rockets organization, higher ups. They were talking about how they were having issues then. Like, ‘we don't know what to do with him.' This is when he just got there from Cleveland.”
Porter Jr., 23, was arrested on Sept. 11 following charges of felony assault and strangulation due to an alleged attack on his girlfriend, Kysre Gondrezick. Porter was released the next day on $75,000 bail. He is scheduled to be back in New York court on Oct. 16.
In the meantime, the Rockets have been reportedly looking for trades for Porter as the NBA launches its own investigation.
