Though he ultimately signed with the Houston Rockets, former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka had plenty of interest from various teams during this cycle of NBA vacancies.
One reported suitor for Udoka was the Toronto Raptors, who, on paper, have a much more competitive team than the young and rebuilding Rockets. So, why did Udoka choose Houston?
Some of it has to do with the roster’s promising core of young talent, which should improve as the years progress. Another factor is a high lottery pick in the 2023 draft and a league-leading figure of approximately $60 million in salary cap room entering 2023 free agency.
Another aspect of the decision, however, likely came down to cold, hard cash being paid Udoka by Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta. Houston is reportedly paying Udoka $28.5 million over the next four years, which is one of the NBA’s top 10 salaries for head coaches.
Per Michael Scotto, that figure could have been more than what other teams were willing to pay. On the HoopsHype podcast, Scotto said:
We’ve seen Nurse and Vogel get linked with Houston in their head coaching search before they went in a different direction with Ime Udoka, who also drew interest from Toronto. It seemed like Houston was ready to move, and in that scenario there were some rumblings out there that Houston was willing to pay a little bit more for that job. I think that and the urgency they had to get a deal done moved the needle there.
Houston’s willingness to spend could also help the Rockets as they hire the pool of assistant coaches for Udoka’s bench.
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