Australian forward Jack McVay has agreed to a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets, according to ESPN sources.
McVay, a 6-foot-8 forward, is coming off the best season of his professional career, emerging as a star with the Tasmanian Jack Jumpers, leading the team to the 2024 NBL Championship and being named Championship Series MVP.
The 28-year-old has been named in Australia's 12-man squad for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He is currently in Abu Dhabi with the Boomers, where he scored nine points in Australia's match against the US on Tuesday morning (AEST). The Boomers face Serbia on Wednesday morning.
During the 2023-24 NBL season, McVay averaged 16.5 points and 5.4 rebounds for the Jack Jumpers while shooting 52.5% from the field and 36.4% from three-point range (4.6 attempts per game). McVay is a tall forward who can score effectively at all three levels, especially with the three-point shot.
McVay grew up on the Gold Coast in Queensland and was one of Australia's best players born in 1996 as a junior and represented his country at the FIBA U-19 World Championship in 2015. He spent four seasons at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln before beginning his professional career in the NBL.
McVay joins the trend of NBL Championship Series MVPs receiving NBA contracts immediately after winning the award, following Jock Landale (2021) and Xavier Cooks (2022).
Randle, McVay's Australian national teammate, is currently on the Rockets roster for the 2024-25 NBA season.
McVay's looming departure leaves a big hole at the No. 4 position for the Jack Jumpers, who will lose their key starter and a local player. The Jack Jumpers have used up all three of their import slots.
