Houston Rockets Looking to Trade Royce White (Shocker, Right?) [UPDATED]

A player that an NBA team takes with the No. 16 pick in the draft is going to be one that is deemed talented enough to be able to contribute to the team sooner rather than later. That was likely what the Houston Rockets were thinking when they drafted Royce White out of Iowa State.

Instead they got a public relations nightmare in a player that appeared dead set on causing controversy and trouble at every turn. So it shouldn't come as much of a shock that the Rockets are looking to trade him.

SD Dirk/Flickr

Not only would trading White get rid of a player that has been nothing but a headache since he joined the club, but it would give the team something that it is in dire need of--cap space. White's salary of $1.72 million is guaranteed for next season so cutting him would not do the team any good, but a trade would.

According to the Ultimate Rockets, a team source has stated that the team has already had trade conversations involving White. Exactly what has been discussed and with who is not known.

The team can't have high expectations for what a trade involving White might bring. When they traded former  No. 5 pick Thomas Robinson all they got was the rights to two second round picks and two future second round picks.

For a player with White's issues they might need to throw in some second round picks to get rid of him. White hasn't even joined the team for the Summer League in Orlando putting it back on the Rockets for not asking him if he'd like to be there.

“I would’ve loved to play in the summer league,” White wrote. “There’s been no communication to me about being wanted there.”

Call me crazy, but for the money he is getting paid he should be asking the team if he can play, not the other way around.

[UPDATED], 7/5/13 @ 23:15

As luck would have it there is someone willing to take White off the Rockets hands. Houston will be sending
him and the rights to Turkish center/forward Furkan Aldemir to Philadelphia for future draft considerations.

While his time in Houston was a bit of a mess I have to give White credit for checking out in a respectable manner.

Me & @dmorey haven't always seen eye to eye, but you have to respect his ability to make moves like Harden & Howard, that's cool.
— Royce White (@Highway_30) July 5, 2013

Good luck in Philly Royce.