The Houston Rockets have converted Julian Phillips and Oscar Tshiebwe to two-way contracts and waived guard Sean Pedulla, the team announced Monday, October 19.
Phillips and Tshiebwe originally signed with Houston as free agents on July 24. Both forwards will now occupy two-way roster spots, while Pedulla departs after signing a two-way deal with the Rockets in August.
Phillips, 22, was selected 35th overall by the Boston Celtics in the 2023 NBA Draft following his freshman season at Tennessee. He has appeared in 167 NBA games, recording career averages of 11.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.6 made three-pointers per 36 minutes.
The 6-foot-7 forward spent his first three NBA seasons with the Chicago Bulls before joining the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2025-26 campaign. He played 35 games for Chicago and 13 for Minnesota last season, averaging 2.8 and 3.2 points per game, respectively.
Tshiebwe, who went undrafted in 2023 after his senior season at Kentucky, has appeared in 49 NBA games with seven starts. The center has averaged 16.6 points, 15.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals per 36 minutes over his NBA career.
The 26-year-old played for the Utah Jazz in 2025-26, appearing in 27 games and averaging 7.8 points and 6.6 rebounds in 16.6 minutes per contest. He shot 63.4% from the field. Tshiebwe also spent time with the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League, averaging 13.6 points and 15.4 rebounds in 23 appearances.
Pedulla joined Houston on a two-way contract on August 17. The guard’s departure follows the Rockets’ decision to give Phillips and Tshiebwe two-way spots as they finalize their roster for the 2026-27 season.
Houston finished 52-30 in 2025-26, placing fifth in the Western Conference before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the first round of the playoffs.
