The Rockets refused Rafael Castro, tweets Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
Castro signed two-way contract with Houston in August. This two-way transaction is covered two seasonsbut all two-way contracts are non-guaranteed and don’t count against the salary cap, so the Rockets won’t be carrying dead money on their books by releasing the 6’11” big man.
Castro, who struggled to win playing time during his two seasons with Providence from 2022-24, transferred to George Washington for his junior season and became the team’s regular center. He was named to the All-Atlantic 10 Second Team and the All-Defensive Conference Team in each of his two years with the Revolutioners.
As a senior in the 2025/26 season, Castro averaged 15.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.7 blocks in 27.3 minutes per game in 27 appearances. The 23-year-old football player shot 62.7% from the field and 66.1% from the free throw.
Shortly after Castro went undrafted in June, the word broke that he agreed to a two-way deal with the Bucks. However, this contract was never signed, so either the deal fell through or it was misreported.
Houston now has a two-way opening after cutting Castro. The team’s other two-way players are linebackers Quadir Copeland and Sean Pedula.