Despite Zhou's tour de force at the Asiad, he ultimately failed to make the grade for the Rockets, who have blown hot and cold this season and now rank just 10th in the Western Conference.

The 22-year-old, who has been blighted by knee and ankle injuries this year, was the 43rd overall pick by Houston in the 2016 NBA Draft. He joined the Rockets ahead of the 2017-18 campaign and had a career-high four blocks in the season finale at Sacramento.

The 2.16 meter (7-foot-1) center played 19 games with the Rockets, averaging 1.3 points and 1.2 rebounds on 21.2 percent shooting in around six and a half minutes of action.

Zhou spent the majority of the last two seasons with Houston's G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, recording career averages of 11.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.1 blocks while shooting 51.3 percent from the floor.

"It's a pity that Zhou Qi couldn't continue to play with the Rockets," said Chinese TV basketball commentator Yu Jia. "Zhou has learned a lot over the past two seasons. Now it's time for a new journey. I've heard that some other teams are asking about Zhou. We're looking forward to some good news."