The Houston Rockets didn’t accomplish all of their goals entering 2023 free agency. They did land two of their three marquee veteran targets in Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, but the third — Milwaukee big man Brook Lopez — clearly slipped away late.
When that happened, the Rockets and general manager Rafael Stone could have still used that salary slot by simply turning to another established veteran at center. But instead, with Houston still in something of a rebuilding phase, the team appears to have pivoted to a backup plan involving contract optionality.
Sure, Jock Landale showed flashes with the Phoenix Suns last season, and Jeff Green was a rotation player for a Denver squad that just won the 2023 NBA championship. Depending on the matchup, they could mix and match those two in minutes fairly similar to what Lopez would have received as a complement to Alperen Sengun.
But judging by their contracts, their largest value could be as salary matching tools in the future. Landale technically signed for four seasons and Green for two, but neither is owed any guaranteed money after the first season. That means Houston could trade them leading up to the 2024 trade deadline next February or early in the 2024 offseason, and the team acquiring them would be on the hook for minimal-to-no salary — should they simply prefer cap space.
Unlike a normal trade exception, which can’t be aggregated with players to help the team bring in a larger salary, Landale and/or Green (who will each make close to $8 million, annually) could be combined in future trades with a player on a short-term contract — such as Kevin Porter Jr. or Jae’Sean Tate. That could allow the Rockets to meet the league’s salary matching rules for trades involving teams who are above the annual salary cap.
Even so, it’s obviously speculative. For the 2023-24 season, the Rockets clearly preferred to add Lopez and improve their short-term roster. That plan failed. But in the long run, the path they chose to pivot to as a backup plan could present more options down the line.
Here’s a look at some of the key takeaways and implications.
Human trade exceptions?
You might not like the dollar figures, but the Rockets did some low-key great, creative work with the contracts they handed out this summer.
They suddenly have a *lot* of salary filler for trades come mid-December… https://t.co/TTPQBN0ZJO
— Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) July 7, 2023
#Rockets seem to prefer having optionality to EITHER create cap room next summer OR have a ton of NG'teed/expiring salary to make trades at the trade deadline and into next summer.
Seems they valued THAT flexibility over using their current cap room to take on $, acquire assets. https://t.co/p5gmk3lImJ
— David Weiner (@BimaThug) July 7, 2023
Between:
Kevin Porter ($15.9 million)
Jeff Green ($8 million)
Jock Landale ($8 million)
Jae’Sean Tate ($6.5 million)
Aaron Holiday ($2 million)The Houston Rockets have about $40.4 million in salary that they can package together in trades as soon as mid-December.
— Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) July 7, 2023
Benefit of the second NG'teed year for Green is that it makes him a trade asset around the 2024 NBA Draft. #Rockets & Green could (partially) guarantee his 2024-25 salary for matching purposes in trades. Same with Landale (in each of the next 3 seasons).
Or they can keep them. https://t.co/xbAn5DWptC
— David Weiner (@BimaThug) July 7, 2023
Yeah, the #Rockets have a number of very moveable contracts so there is some decent flexibility there should they be aggressive to make moves. https://t.co/RLh2jyxn6p
— Chris A. White 🐻 (@fyrebear) July 7, 2023
Jeff Green getting the same "walking TPE" treatment as Landale.
This also removes any chance of Green coming out of the Rockets' Room MLE. Pure cap room. https://t.co/jyQXAFb6li
— David Weiner (@BimaThug) July 7, 2023
