The Houston Rockets have decided to release forward Robert Covington while continuing to listen on trade interest, league sources told RealGM.



Covington and the Rockets will part either way, allowing the 23-year-old to play for another organization.



The Rockets had been impressed with Covington’s development within the franchise a season ago, a skilled 6-foot-9 product using his shooting and slashing to average 23.2 points and 9.2 rebounds in the NBA Development League. Covington appeared in seven regular-season games for the Rockets in his rookie year.

Covington was awarded with several honors with Rio Grande Valley in the D-League — including the All-Star Game MVP, Rookie of the Year and the All-First team.

After going undrafted out of Tennessee State, Covington received interest from several teams as a free agent before signing a multi-year contract with Houston.