Rockets Roster, Salaries, Cap Space, Draft Picks Updated Through 2030 and More!

The Dream Shake is not just a community of Rockets fans, it’s a community of NBA geeks. And right now there are few places better to get your NBA offseason salary cap geek on than Salary Swish.

As part of a new partnership with SB Nation, you can now dive into SalarySwish and use their data to attempt to answer every single question you could possibly have about the Rockets’ financial situation (and other team-building considerations). You’ll see not just the current situation for the Rockets, but also permutations of signing players eligible for extension such as Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun.

Below is an attempt at an updating, living and breathing document answering every query you could possibly have on that front, with updates and context as the team moves forward. So bookmark this page for all the latest changes as the team moves forward!

Rockets Roster, Salaries, Draft Picks, Cap Space and More

Here is a table with all of the Rockets salary information, again courtesy of our friends at SalarySwish:

Now, because that is a lot of data, let’s dive into a few key pieces of context and what it means, and try to answer any questions it may raise for you.

Rockets Salary Structure Pre-Draft 2024

Well, the years of taking bad deals to free up room paid off last season, with the signings of Fred Van Vleet and Dillon Brooks. The Rockets have very little dead weight on the roster and in terms of guaranteed salary.

I’m not a Certified NBA Capologist, and I know some of you are. If I’ve explained something incorrectly, or awkwardly, let me know, and by no means do you blame SalarySwish, without which I’d make a real hash of this.

The NBA salary cap is set at $141 million for 2024-25, and the Rockets current salary structure is set at right at $145 million in terms of cap hits.

Those aren’t the final word on moves that can be made, but right now this situation puts the Rockets at about $4.3 million over the cap. That might sound bad, but the Rockets currently stand dead last in NBA cap hits, and committed salary.

The Rockets stand to have only $109 million in guaranteed salary in 2024-25. This is very, very, low. That number goes up by $12.6 million with Steven Adams playing, and leaving the Disabled Player Exception slot. Adams brings committed money to roughly $122 million.

The Rockets currently have cap holds of around $6.3 million for unrestricted free agents Reggie Bullock, Aaron Holiday and Boban Marjanovic, but those aren’t guaranteed deals. They also have about $5.6 million in the form of restricted free agent cap holds, in the form of Nate Hinton, Nate Williams and Jermaine Samuels, also not guaranteed, all with equal salaries.

I’d be shocked if the Rockets brought all those players back, as they’re adding Adams to the payroll, and also almost certainly a first round pick of some sort, and maybe a second-rounder.

Let’s say the Rockets bring back one Nate of your choice, and Jermaine Samuels. Their salaries are all the same, so that adds $3.8 million.

Let’s say they also keep Aaron Holiday at his current number of $2.1 million.

Now they’re up to $128 million, but they have decisions to make about Jock Landale, Jeff Green and Jae’Sean Tate. Landale and Green are at $8 million each, and Tate around $7. Keeping all three is $26 million.

For various reasons, the Rockets can do all this, without triggering any real problems or luxury tax.

Now, the Rockets do have to fill out their roster, but this situation is good. They can get under the cap easily, if they choose, by simply not re-signing the three unrestricted free agents or signing them as veteran minimum players or two-way players, who all operate differently under the cap.

If the Rockets for some reason renounced all players who are free agents or on whom they possessed options, they could get about $31 million in salary space (this isn’t counting Adams), so call it $18 million. They’d have to fill in the roster with a bunch of minimum signings, and exceptions, but it could be done, or even with Adams, and by trading Brooks, they could get up to around $40 million.

Salary Exceptions

The Rockets currently can operate as an under-the-cap team, due to, I believe, cap holds necessary to get under the cap being non-guaranteed salary, and also because they are not in the luxury tax. The exceptions allow the Rockets to exceed the cap without triggering luxury tax.

First, the Rockets would get a rookie scale exception, which allows them to sign their first round picks to rookie scale contracts appropriate to the draftees' selection spot.

Second, they can access the Mid-Level Room Exception, which currently offers an annual salary of approximately $12.8 million, to sign free agents to deals up to three years. These can be their own free agents, or others, and it can be applied to one or more players.

Third, they can make signings using the bi-annual exception of roughly $4.7 million per season.

Current Picks

Here is where we’ll keep an updating list of picks the Rockets have. The trades with the Nets involving Rockets, Nets, Suns and potential Thunder (and maybe some other teams) picks are... somewhat complex. Descriptions are below.

2024

• 1-3 (BKN - Reed Sheppard)
• 2-44 (Warriors) Traded to ATL for AJ Griffin*

2025

• So for 2025...here we go (one for the LSAT “logic games” section):

OKC has right to SWAP picks with HOU, but not if HOU is picking between 1-1 and 1-10. Then pick remains with Houston. OKC can also swap either for the 2025 LAC 1st round pick, or Houston’s pick if it is 11-30.

Houston can swap the OKC first round pick (if Houston is 11-30) pick to BKN for PHX 2025 1st round pick.

If Houston’s pick falls within its protected range, then the obligation to OKC is void and Houston may swap its 1-1 to 1-10 pick to BKN for the PHX pick.

• 2nd round: Least favorable of Houston or OKC, then the remaining pick to MEM (via ATL to HOU). So that appears to be no second round pick.

2026

• Rockets own first round pick, but only if between 1-1 to 1-4, otherwise conveys to OKC, but if HOU is 1-1 to 1-4 then HOU 2026 second round pick to OKC.
• The two most advantageous picks of HOU 1-5-1-30, LAC, and OKC’s own pick to OKC then other to PHL (via OKC). As I read this, Houston has NO first round pick in 2026 UNLESS it’s own pick falls 1-1 to 1-4.
• 2nd Round - Houston’s 2-1 to 2-4 to OKC if HOU picks 1-1 to 1-4. Otherwise...sigh...second most favorable of OKC, DAL and PHL (via OKC); Less favorable of (i) LAC and (ii) most favorable of BOS, IND and MIA (via MIA to IND; via MIL to MEM; via MEM swap of IND or MIA for BOS; via MEM swap of BOS, IND or MIA for LAC (thanks to REALGM for part of that).

2027

• PHX 1st round pick unprotected.
• Houston’s own pick, or swap with BKN.
• The damned and doomed Westbrook trade is finally dead in 2027.
• Grizzlies 2nd round pick, no current terms.

2028

• Rockets First Round Pick
• Currently none, 2nd round pick to ATL.

2029

• Two most advantageous 1st round picks of: Houston, DAL and PHX. Remaining pick to BRK
• Currently none, 2nd round pick to OKC somehow or other.

2030

• Rockets first round pick
• Rockets second round pick

---

Trades - 2024 Draft Day Forward

• 2024 Draft Day Trades (Day Two) - Rockets trade 2024, 2-44 pick to Atlanta for AJ Griffin (1-16 ATL - 2022 NBA Draft)

Signings - 2024 Off Season - Two Way Contracts

• Jack McVeigh F/C. Australia, Tasmania JackJumpers (which is a kind of...ant).
• N’Faly Dante C, Oregon.

If you found this page useful, please bookmark it and/or share, and if you have any questions or information you’d like to see included, let us know in the comments below! We plan to keep this page updated with the latest information from SalarySwish as events occur.