NBA Rumors: DeMarre Carroll expected to join the Houston Rockets following buyout with the San Antonio Spurs

What's the news?

DeMarre Carroll has struggled to hold down a regular spot in the San Antonio Spurs' rotation since joining the team in free agency last summer. He was linked with a trade ahead of the trade deadline earlier this month, although a deal didn't come to fruition. However, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the veteran has now agreed to a buyout with the Spurs and the Houston Rockets are the frontrunners to secure his signature once he clears waivers:

In case you didn't know...

Carroll was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 27th pick of the 2009 draft - but struggled for minutes during his early years in the league. Nevertheless, Carroll established himself as a starter with the Atlanta Hawks during the 2013-14 campaign, and before joining the Spurs last summer, the 33-year-old played a significant role during a two-season spell with the Nets.

Carroll was expected to play a substantial role from Gregg Popovich's bench this season but featured just 15 times, averaging 2.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 9.0 minutes per contest. His last appearance came back on Jan. 8 - as he featured for just two minutes against the Boston Celtics.

The heart of the matter

The Rockets are still in need of a center, although Carroll is another nice pickup for a team that has lacked quality from the bench over the past few seasons. In his final year with the Nets, Carroll averaged 11.1 points while mostly coming off the bench - and it is easy to envision him having a similar impact in Houston.

What's next?

The Rockets return to action on Thursday as they take on the Golden State Warriors. Meanwhile, the Spurs face the Utah Jazz on Friday.