The Houston Rockets are gearing up for the 2024 NBA season with a mix of new faces and familiar ones.
They made several moves this offseason, including signings, trades, and draft picks. Let’s dive into what they did.
Aaron Holiday is back on a two-year deal worth $9.57 million, with a team option for the second year. Nate Hinton and Jermaine Samuels also re-signed on one-year minimum salary deals.
Trades:
Houston made some interesting trades. They acquired several future first-round picks from the Suns and Mavericks in exchange for their own picks. AJ Griffin joined the team from Atlanta in a three-team trade, which saw Pelle Larsson go to Miami.
Draft Picks:
The Rockets used their No. 3 pick to draft Reed Sheppard, who signed a four-year rookie contract worth $45.85 million.
The Rockets also signed NโFaly Dante, Jack McVeigh, and Jeenathan Williams to two-way contracts.
Departures:
Reggie Bullock and Boban Marjanovic remain unsigned free agents as of now.
Other Moves:
Jeff Green’s $8 million team option was exercised along with JaeโSean Tate’s $7.56 million option. These players could be valuable trade assets later this season if needed.
Fans might think these moves show the Rockets are planning for both now and the future.
Salary Cap Situation:
Houston is operating over the cap at $140.6 million but below the luxury tax line of $170.8 million. They have around $163.9 million in salary commitments and are hard-capped at $178.13 million but still have their full mid-level exception available at $12.8 million along with a traded player exception worth nearly $800K.
The Offseason So Far:
Last summer was busy for Houston with big signings like Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks; however, this year was quieter except for re-signing Aaron Holiday on a short-term deal likely limiting his playtime to 15-18 minutes per game max
AJ Griffin came from Atlanta after an injury-riddled season but showed promise during his rookie yearโHouston hopes he bounces back strong!
Reed Sheppard joins them after being drafted third overall thanks largely due to Brooklynโs pick moving up during lottery nightโa great addition considering his impressive college stats!
While picking up options on Green & Tate plus guaranteeing Landaleโs salary means nearly $24M worth expiring contracts that could prove useful come trade deadline time especially if younger players continue improving throughout regular season making veterans more expendable as potential trade chips instead
Future-focused strategy involved swapping control over Nets’ first-rounders (2025/26) acquiring multiple future picks/swaps mostly tied Suns betting against Phoenix longevity contending team given most selections fall between ’27-’29 timeframe
Up Next:
With plenty expiring money books surplus draft assets talented young roster pieces well-positioned make bid star should one become available via trade market soon enough though immediate concern lies extending Alperen Sengun/Jalen Green eligible rookie scale extensions until October 21st
Sengun had breakout year finishing third Most Improved Player voting averaging impressive stats while Green showed flashes stardom despite inconsistent shooting defense overall net rating higher when either off court rather than playing suggesting neither extension no-brainer particularly seeking near-max deals
Rockets may prefer maintaining flexibility clear max-salary cap room by ’25 holding off extending Sengun makes sense given lower restricted FA cap hold compared projected new deal salary whereas delaying Green extension only beneficial expecting pay significantly more beyond current hold amount creating additional space otherwise unnecessary unless truly warranted based performance expectations going forward What do you think about these moves?
