Rockets to sign Markel Brown, release Brianté Weber

LOS ANGELES - The Rockets will sign Markel Brown, a guard with the Oklahoma City Blue of the G League, to a two-way contract, releasing guard Brianté Weber from his two-way deal with the Rockets and Rio Grande Valley Vipers, a person with knowledge of the move said.

Brown, a 6-3 guard from Oklahoma State, averaged 17.4 points with the Blue this season, making 46.1 percent of his shots, 36 percent of his 3s. He had played 35 games with the Brooklyn Nets in 2015-16 and 2016-17, averaging 5.3 points in 16.2 minutes per game.

Weber had played in 13 games with the Rockets, most significantly as a fourth guard with James Harden hurt. In recent games, however, the Rockets have gone with a three-guard rotation of Chris Paul, Eric Gordon and Gerald Green. They hope to have Harden back from a hamstring injury by the end of the week.

Though Weber was running out of days he could be with the Rockets before they would have to convert his contract to a standard NBA contract, they made the move to get time to evaluate Brown, a part of how they are using their allotment of two two-way contracts.

With the release of Demetrius Jackson, who signed a two-way deal with the Philadelphia 76ers at the end of his 10-day contract with the Rockets, the Rockets have an open roster spot. Jackson had begun the season with a two-way contract, playing with the Rockets and Vipers.