Rockets waive former first-round pick A.J. Griffin, who is expected to step away from basketball, per report

The Houston Rockets are waiving A.J. Griffin by way of a contract buyout as the 21 year old is expected to step away from the game entirely, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. 

It is not clear whether this is being treated as a temporary break for Griffin as he addresses personal issues or if the 2022 No. 16 overall pick is retiring for good. It sounds like Griffin will be taking his time in making a decision. 

According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, the buyout is worth $250,000 and the Rockets are allowing Griffin to "sit out the [2024-25] season while considering whether to continue his career."

Griffin, the son of former NBA player and Milwaukee Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin, was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks after one season at Duke, and his NBA career got off to a promising start. 

Griffin proved right away that he could be an impactful shooter averaging nine points on 39% 3-point shooting in 20 minutes per game as a rookie. He scored a career-best 24 points twice and cracked the starting lineup 12 times. 

But he only played 20 games last season before being dealt to Houston this summer in exchange for No. 43 overall pick Nikola Durisic. Griffin struggled with the Rockets at the Las Vegas Summer League in July.