Royce White and the Houston Rockets are closing in on a deal that would allow the rookie forward to return to the franchise and report to the Rio Grande Valley Rapids of the D-League.

The Rockets are close to making an announcement in which White would return to the team under a written agreement that includes key elements of the protocols that White wanted to have as an addendum to his contract, according to a source.

“Everybody wants to make it seem like wild, wild west standoff between me and the Rockets," White said. "That’s not the case here. There has been an issue that’s been identified. Mental health is not descriptive enough in CBA (collective bargaining agreement) and UPC (uniform player contract.) It being so vague makes us make it up as we go. There’s no protocol. We need to rectify that to make sure the environment is safe. If we’re making it up as we go, … that’s probably not the safest thing.”

