The Houston Rockets have signed free agent guard Rod Strickland, General Manager Carroll Dawson announced today. In a related move, the Rockets have released guard Brandin Knight, who made one scoreless appearance after signing a 10-day contract on Sunday. Strickland comes to Houston ranked seventh in NBA history with 7,948 career assists and 19th all-time with 1,613 career steals.
“Rod gives us another experienced veteran in our backcourt,” Dawson said. “He will give us more depth, as we fight through an assortment of injuries.”
Strickland has averaged 13.4 points, 7.4 assists and 1.50 steals in 1,078 career games with New York, San Antonio, Portland, Washington, Miami, Minnesota, Orlando and Toronto. He has posted a double-figure scoring average in 12 of his 16 seasons, including a career-high 18.9 points per game with Portland during the 1994-95 season. The 6-3, 185-pound guard earned All-NBA Second Team honors following the 1997-98 season, when he led the NBA with a career-high 10.5 assists per game. The 38-year-old Strickland averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 assists in 61 games with Orlando and Toronto last season.
