Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested on Monday in New York City for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend Kysre Gondrezick. Porter posted bail on the same day and pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges, but what is the latest update on the case involving the Houston Rockets guard?
According to the New York Post, Porter's defense attorneys are asking the Manhattan District Attorney's Office to drop one of the assault charges on him. Gondrezick reportedly suffered multiple injuries, including a fractured vertebra on her neck.
However, it has been agreed by the DA's office and Porter's lawyers that the Rockets guard did not break Gondrezick's neck. The former WNBA player's neck injury is reportedly a congenital defect and was not caused by the alleged beating that happened at the Millennium Hilton New York Hotel.
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Kevin Porter Jr. and his defense team want the second-degree assault charges to be dropped. KPJ is still facing second-degree strangulation and third-degree assault charges. If convicted of the strangulation charge, he could be sentenced to seven years in prison.
Porter will be back in court on Oct. 16 as his future in the NBA is in doubt. The Houston Rockets are reportedly looking to trade him, as per The Athletic. The Rockets have contacted multiple teams and are ready to add draft picks to Porter's $15.9 million salary next season.
The Rockets are also not expecting Porter to be back in training camp, considering he will have a court date next month. With the signing of Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, and the addition of Amen Thompson from the draft, Porter might not have the best outlook for next season.
Kevin Porter Jr. under investigation by the NBA
The NBA has already opened an investigation into Kevin Porter Jr.'s alleged assault on his girlfriend Kysre Gondrezick. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke about the issue in an interview with ESPN.
"The allegations here are horrific, no question about it. ... But I don’t know anything more about the actual facts, other than reading those allegations," Silver said.
"We're not in season. … We have a bit of time to decide whether it would be appropriate for him to go to training camp or not."
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski speculated that KPJ's future in the NBA is in serious jeopardy. The allegations against him are serious, but the league cannot do anything about it before their investigation has been concluded.
"The Houston Rockets, by the by-laws, they can’t suspend or waive him while this investigation is going on," Wojnarowski said.
"But Adam Silver could put Porter on administrative leave. There's no question that Kevin Porter Jr.'s future, not just with the Rockets but in the NBA, is very much in peril. These are extremely serious allegations."
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