Editor’s Note: According to reports, Houston tried to re-negotiate a three-year, $10.9 million deal with Nene, which he was not interested in. Nene is now uncommitted to the Rockets and is back on the market as an unrestricted free agent.
UPDATE on editor’s note: Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that Nene has ultimately agreed to the three-year, $11 million deal that the Rockets proposed. He will return to Houston on that contract, rather than the original four-year, $15 million deal that was in place.
The Houston Rockets have agreed to re-sign unrestricted free agent center Nene Hilario to a contract worth $15 million over four years. The contract cannot officially be signed until the end of the NBA’s moratorium period on July 6th.
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle broke the news on Friday night:
Rockets reach an agreement with Nene on a four year, $15 million contract, source said.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) July 1, 2017
Nene Hilario Agrees to Four-Year Contract With Houston Rockets
Nene’s contract will take him through the end of the 2020-21 season.
Nene averaged 9.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks per game last season for the Rockets. Playing in 67 games for Houston last campaign, Nene was a key role player. Offering solid bench contributions, Nene helped Mike D’Antoni‘s team reach the Western Conference Semi-finals. However, the big man’s season ended in injury. Nene suffered a left adductor tear in Game 4 of the Conference Semi-finals against San Antonio.
Looking forward, Nene will continue to provide solid defensive play, capable of scoring and protecting the paint consistently at the center position for the Rockets. Nene will need to keep providing energy in his bench role in Houston. The Rockets will need Nene to provide strong play at the center spot to help them be legitimate championship contenders in the 2017-18 season.
Nene is heading into his 16th season in the league, during which he’ll be 35 years old. Until this point, he’s played for three teams. Starting his career with the Denver Nuggets, Nene was traded to Washington in 2012. After five seasons with the Wizards, Nene signed with Houston last summer but went on to start just eight games for the Rockets in 2016-17.
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