Rockets waive JD Davison

Branham, the 20th overall pick in the 2022 draft, has seen his NBA opportunities decrease after serving as an occasional starter in his first two seasons with the Spurs. In 2025-26, his lone season with the Wizards, the guard averaged 9.8 minutes per game in 28 appearances. As for Davison, the 53rd overall pick in the 2022 draft, he appeared in 28 games for the Rockets last season. While both will have an opportunity to compete for a roster spot in training camp, neither Branham nor Davison is likely to be in a position to impact fantasy basketball next season.

Davison’s deal will be converted from a two-way to a standard contract, and he’ll fill out Houston’s final roster spot ahead of the 2025-26 playoffs.

Finney-Smith is back after missing Houston’s last two games for injury management reasons. His return will likely mean fewer minutes for Reed Sheppard and JD Davison, with the latter possibly falling out of the rotation entirely.

Finney-Smith will miss a second consecutive game due to left ankle injury management. Reed Sheppard and JD Davison both surpassed 20 minutes in Tuesday’s win over the Bulls, while Jae’Sean Tate played five minutes. While Sheppard is already rostered in standard leagues, there’s no need to leap Davison or Tate.

After appearing in 36 NBA games over three seasons with the Celtics, Davison is on a two-way contract with the Rockets. The former G League star is not in a position where he’ll be guaranteed rotation minutes, but Houston lacks guard depth in the aftermath of Fred VanVleet’s torn ACL. With G League players allowed to be active for up to 50 regular-season games, there may be times when Davison is asked to play rotation minutes off the bench. He isn’t a draftable player in fantasy leagues, but savvy deep-league managers will have Davison on their watchlists.

Davison appeared in just 36 games for the Celtics across his first three NBA seasons, but he most recently won G League MVP. Houston’s rotation is one of the deepest in the Association, so Davison shouldn’t be expected to see meaningful minutes right away.

In the aftermath of Jayson Tatum’s ruptured Achilles tendon injury, the Celtics have made multiple moves to improve their salary cap situation. The latest transaction was the decision to waive Davison, which gets the Celtics beneath the second apron. The point guard’s contract for the 2025-26 season would have been fully guaranteed if he were still on the roster on January 10, 2026. Davison appeared in 16 games for the Celtics last season, doing most of his damage with the team’s G League affiliate.

There’s nothing on the line for the Celtics on Sunday, as they have already secured the two-seed in the Eastern Conference. White and Holiday will get the day off to rest for the playoffs. Payton Pritchard will figure prominently in the Celtics’ rotation, as should JD Davison and Jordan Walsh. Pritchard is the available Celtic best-equipped to blow up offensively on Sunday.

Davison was drafted 53rd overall in 2022 and has been with Boston his entire career, though he has spent most of his time with their G League affiliate in Maine. He has made 15 appearances in the NBA this season and will likely play a significant role in the regular season finale on Sunday. The 22-year-old will remain with the Celtics on a standard deal heading into next season, but he will likely spend most of his time in Maine once again.

Davison has spent two seasons with the Celtics, appearing in 20 games (eight in 2023-24). With Boston’s backcourt rotation remaining intact after winning an NBA title this season, he’s unlikely to crack the rotation in 2024-25. However, he’ll look to change that when he plays with the Celtics’ summer league team in Las Vegas.