The Houston Rockets opened up a roster spot Sunday by waiving guard/forward Nate Williams , whose minimum salary for the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season was not guaranteed until October .
In the team's announcement , the Rockets also said they signed undrafted rookie free agent Cameron Matthews, a forward out of Mississippi State. But according to The Athletic's Kelly Iko , Matthews was signed to an Exhibit 10, training-camp contract, which will allow him to compete for a roster spot at that time.
So, in effect, the Rockets are leaving the status of Williams' roster spot to be determined. A player such as Matthews could perhaps earn it with a strong training camp, or the Rockets could make another minimum-salary signing later in the 2025 offseason.
Exhibit 10 contracts are non-guaranteed, allowing teams to release those players without financial penalties before the ensuing regular season. In effect, they buy time and allow teams to further evaluate those players during training camp and the preseason.
Williams had finished up the 2024-25 regular season on a standard contract with the Rockets, and he went into the offseason with a deal that had yet to guarantee for 2025-26.
Both Williams and Matthews are part of Houston's 2025 summer-league team, which has four games remaining in Las Vegas. Two are on Sunday and Monday afternoons versus the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks , respectively ( schedule ).
More: Mississippi State forward Cameron Matthews leads Houston's undrafted rookie signings
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets open up roster spot by waiving Nate Williams
