National Basketball Association

Report: Rockets trade Robinson

Published Jun. 30, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Houston Rockets have made another roster move as part of their push to sign Dwight Howard, agreeing to trade Thomas Robinson to the Portland Trail Blazers, according to Yahoo! Sports.

Robinson will be sent to the Blazers in exchange for the draft rights to foreign players Kostas Papanikolau and Marko Todorovic and two future second-round draft picks.

The trade is significant for the Rockets because it clears enough salary cap space to allow them to make a max contract offer of four years and $88 million to Howard. Houston also cleared cap space by cutting Carlos Delfino and Aaron Brooks earlier Sunday.

The trade of Robinson cannot become official until July 10, but the Rockets can use it as part of their pitch to Howard when they meet with him.

Robinson now has been traded twice in the span of slightly more than four months. The Rockets acquired him on February 20 from the Sacramento Kings, who selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft.

Robinson played sparingly as a rookie, averaging just 15 minutes, 4.8 points, 4.5 rebounds per game.