Tristen Newton to Houston Rockets? Red-hot G League standout earns two-way opportunity with team

According to Michael Scotto of USA Today, G League player Tristen Newton signed a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets on Saturday. Before playing the previous season with the Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves, Newton was selected by Indiana at No. 49 overall in the 2024 second round.For the Iowa Wolves of the G League, the 24-year-old was averaging 26.8 points and 7.7 assists. Newton will be able to participate as a two-way player in 29 games. He started the season with the NBA G League's Iowa Wolves, where he led all players in scoring at the G League Tip-Off Tournament. On Saturday night, the Houston Rockets made a roster change. They have added Tristen Newton as they get ready to play the Dallas Mavericks. The team announced on Saturday that the guard had signed a two-way deal. After failing to make Minnesota's roster at the end of training camp in mid-October, Newton began the regular season with the Iowa Wolves of the G League. He has performed well in the G League, averaging 26.7 points, 7.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 threes, and 1.9 steals over 36.1 minutes per game. He has scored at least 30 points in four of his previous seven games. The 2024 second-round pick will get another chance with Houston after playing in eight regular-season games during his rookie campaign.In 2018-19, he was the top scorer in Texas as a senior at Burges High School in El Paso, averaging 37.2 points per game. After transferring to the University of Connecticut, where he assisted the Huskies in winning consecutive national titles, he started his college career at East Carolina. He also received the 2024 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player award.Even though he probably won't play much on a competitive Rockets team, Newton will undoubtedly benefit from having another NBA shot. Tyler Smith, a 2024 second-round pick, will be waived by the Rockets after Newton is signed. Overall, Newton has significantly improved from his debut campaign. With the Wolves' G League team last season, the UConn product notably averaged 16.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.6 assists on 40.9 shooting splits. Newton most recently played for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was acquired by the Wolves a year ago and now will be on a two-way contract for the rest of the 2024–2025 NBA season. Nevertheless, Newton and the Wolves parted ways back in the autumn. However, he remained with the organization's G League affiliate despite being waived after the preseason. Newton made an impression in the G League last season, averaging 16.6 points, 6.6 assists, and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 40 percent from the floor.Also read: Fred VanVleet suffers ruptured ACL, dealing a major blow to Houston Rockets’ 2025–26 championship hopes