2019 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Houston Rockets

After an early-season slump that was widely attributed to the loss of key role players during the 2018 offseason, the Rockets bounced back in a big way, adding new contributors to the rotation and roaring into the postseason with a ton of momentum. For a second straight year, however, Houston saw its momentum halted in the playoffs by the Warriors, sending Daryl Morey and the front office back to the drawing board.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Rockets financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2019:

Guaranteed Salary

• Chris Paul ($38,506,482)
• James Harden ($38,150,000) ¹
• Clint Capela ($14,896,552)
• Eric Gordon ($14,057,730)
• P.J. Tucker ($8,349,039)
• Gary Clark ($708,426) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.
• Isaiah Hartenstein ($708,426) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below. ²
• Troy Williams ($122,741) — Waived via stretch provision
• Total: $115,499,396
  

Player Options

• Nene ($3,825,360)
• Total: $3,825,360

Team Options

• None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

• Chris Chiozza ($1,416,852)
• Michael Frazier ($1,416,852)
• Gary Clark ($708,426)
• Isaiah Hartenstein ($708,426) ²
• Total: $4,250,556
  

Restricted Free Agents

• Danuel House ($1,876,700 qualifying offer / $1,876,700 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
• Vince Edwards (two-way qualifying offer / $1,443,842 cap hold): Non-Bird rights ³
• Total: $3,320,542

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

• Iman Shumpert ($16,516,851): Bird rights
• Tarik Black ($3,948,000): Non-Bird rights ⁴
• Kenneth Faried ($1,618,486): Non-Bird rights
• Gerald Green ($1,618,486): Early Bird rights
• Joe Johnson ($1,618,486): Non-Bird rights ⁴
• Austin Rivers ($1,618,486): Non-Bird rights
• Markel Brown ($1,443,842): Non-Bird rights ⁴
• Trevon Duval ($1,443,842): Non-Bird rights
• Total: $29,826,479

Projected Salary Cap: $109,000,000
Projected Tax Line: $132,000,000

Offseason Cap Outlook

• Realistic cap room projection: $0
  
• The Rockets won’t be in position to create cap room this summer. They’re more likely to end up over the tax line rather than below the cap, unless they fill out the back half of their roster on the cheap.

Cap Exceptions Available

• Trade exception: $1,544,951 (expires 8/2/19)
• Trade exception: $2,584,136 (expires 9/2/19)
• Trade exception: $955,172 (expires 1/7/20)
• Trade exception: $1,512,601 (expires 1/22/20)
• Trade exception: $3,620,016 (expires 2/7/20)
• Trade exception: $3,206,160 (expires 2/7/20)
• Trade exception: $1,621,415 (expires 2/7/20)
• Trade exception: $1,544,951 (expires 2/7/20)
• Trade exception: $1,512,601 (expires 2/7/20)
• Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,711,000 ⁵

Footnotes

1. This is a projected value.
2. Hartenstein’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 15.
3. The salaries for two-way players don’t count against a team’s cap, but their cap holds do during the offseason.
4. The cap holds for Black, Johnson, and Brown remain on the Rockets’ books because they haven’t been renounced after going unsigned in 2018/19. They can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
5. This is a projected value. If the Rockets stay below the tax apron, they’d instead have access to the full mid-level exception ($9,246,000) and the bi-annual exception ($3,619,000).

Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and RealGM was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.