On the eve of the regular season, the Houston Rockets decided to waive veteran point guard Pablo Prigioni, instead keeping Tyler Ennis on the roster. They had acquired Ennis in September, sending Michael Beasley to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for a chance to work with the guard taken No. 18 overall in 2014. With the injury to Patrick Beverley, Ennis has become a regular part of the Rockets' rotation, playing backup point guard in their first three games. In that time, he has shot just 1-for-7, but distributed the ball well.
That's the good news for Ennis. The bad news is that, on Monday, Houston decided not to exercise the fourth-year option on his rookie contract, per the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen. Ennis will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
This doesn't exactly mean that Ennis is definitely going elsewhere next July, but it makes it much more likely. If he does not take advantage of this early-season opportunity and prove he belongs, then the Rockets will probably go a different direction. If he thrives, then they probably won't be able to afford him. Since Houston declined Ennis' $2.7 million option, it is not allowed to pay him more than that in free agency. This is how the Indiana Pacers lost Solomon Hill this past offseason.
None of this should change how Ennis approaches this season. The Rockets are his third team in three years, and this is the best shot he's had at being a contributor. They need him to be productive while Beverley is injured, and he needs to carve out a niche in the NBA so he can sign another contract eight months from now.
