• Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested for domestic violence against WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick
• Porter Jr. has previously had many off-court issues, which led to the Rockets giving him a mostly non-guaranteed contract extension last season
• The league could place Porter Jr. on administrative leave according to their domestic violence policy
The NBA has had another instance of one of its players being caught up in a domestic violence dispute. Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested for using violence against his girlfriend, WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick. While the Rockets cannot suspend him until the NBA does their investigation, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon revealed that the league can place him on a long administrative leave, making him unable to play games.
“According to the league’s domestic violence policy, Commissioner Adam Silver has the authority to put Kevin Porter Jr. on paid administrative leave for “a reasonable period of time.”
According to the league's domestic violence policy, Commissioner Adam Silver has the authority to put Kevin Porter Jr. on paid administrative leave for "a reasonable period of time."
(Via @espn_macmahon ) pic.twitter.com/glO5ljF1oF
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 11, 2023
Domestic violence doesn’t lead to nearly the damage on a player’s career as many say it does. The league has coaches and players with prior convictions and little to deal with in terms of consequences. Miles Bridges will be re-entering the NBA after a season’s absence due to his own troubles with the law and violence.
Hitting your girlfriend is not justified in any case, especially for ill-tempered multi-millionaire athletes. Porter Jr.’s actions are a reflection of the impunity these players act with, as the consequences never end up matching up to their actions.
Should The Houston Rockets Cut Ties With Kevin Porter Jr.?
Given how KPJ’s contract extension was made last season, it seems the Rockets knew he could be erratic enough to commit a major infraction. Most NBA contracts are made up of a bulk of guaranteed money, which isn’t the case with Porter Jr.
His four-year, $63.4 million contract has only $15.8 million guaranteed to go to him. There are also clauses that could allow the Rockets to terminate his contract early and not be entitled to pay him heaps of money. Most of his money is guaranteed for this season, but his 2024-25 contract is partially guaranteed, with 2025-26 being non-guaranteed.
Ime Udoka will likely stand beside his players instead of succumbing to the ‘cancel culture’ that cost him his job with the Celtics after leading them to the NBA Finals as a rookie head coach. The Rockets will wait to see what the NBA does, but if the onus of punishment falls on them, Porter Jr. may just get off with a slap on the wrist.
Is Kevin Porter Jr. Good Enough To Warrant This Consideration?
Miles Bridges was a borderline All-Star and the NBA kept him out for a year before bringing him back into the fold. No individual talent should be bigger than the morals and ideals the league espouses, but teams will always give players a chance if they can provide value on the court. We even saw Myers Leonard return to the league last season after being pushed out for anti-Semitic behavior.
Porter Jr.’s ceiling is being a good sixth man. He has had chances to blossom in Houston and hasn’t provided anything on the court that a bunch of other players in the league cannot do. Despite a 50-point performance last season, everything he’s done has come in an unorganized setup where winning was never prioritized.
Udoka could have extracted some offensive value from KPJ off the bench, but I don’t think his talent warrants much consideration for his actions. He should deal with the consequences and likely see his deal with the Rockets suspended or terminated.
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