Houston signed a two-way contract with UConn

The Houston Rockets signed running back Tristen Newton on Saturday to a two-way contract. The team gave up a two-way forward by Tyler Smith to create an opening. Newton, 24, becomes one of three players on two-way contracts for Houston, joining JD Davison and Isaiah Crawford.

The Indiana Pacers selected the 6-foot-5, 202-pound Newton with the 49th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. Newton spent the first part of the 2024–25 season on a two-way contract with Indiana and appeared in five NBA games before being waived by the team on January 1, 2025. Just four days later, The Minnesota Timberwolves claimed him off waiverskeeping him on a two-way deal. Newton played a total of eight minutes in three games for Minnesota before being waived by the Timberwolves in October after Johnny Yusang took his roster spot.

This season, Newton plays for the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. In 19 games, he is averaging 26.8 points, 7.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. He shoots 49.4 percent from the field, and 37.6 percent from three points. While starting the season with Iowa, Newton led the G League in scoring at 26.2 points per game and ranked seventh in assists with 8.0 per contest.

With the Rockets, Newton will be eligible to appear in up to 29 NBA games if the deal is finalized by the end of the day. His two-way salary becomes fully guaranteed if he remains on the roster through Wednesday. He will report to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s G League affiliate.

Smith, waived by the Rockets to make room for Newton, is a 21-year-old forward selected 33rd overall in the 2024 draft. He signed a two-way contract with Houston on Dec. 2, but did not appear in an NBA game with the Rockets. Smith previously played 23 NBA games for the Milwaukee Bucks last season.

Newton’s resume includes a decorated collegiate career split between East Carolina and the University of Connecticut. He averaged 11.0 points and 3.7 assists as a freshman at East Carolina and later improved to 17.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists as a junior, making the All-AAC second team. After transferring to UConn, Newton helped the Huskies win national championships in 2023 and 2024. During the 2024 NCAA Tournament, he earned Most Outstanding Player honors, won the Bob Cousy Award and was a first-team Consensus All-American.

A Texas native, Newton starred at Burgess High School in El Paso, where he scored 3,266 career points and led the nation with 37.2 points per game as a senior.