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2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Houston Rockets

May 29th, 2018 at 1:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets went all-in on Chris Paul last June, trading nearly half their roster for the star point guard, and the acquisition paid dividends throughout the 2017/18 season — led by Paul and MVP favorite James Harden, Houston won an NBA-best 65 games. However, CP3’s old injury issues resurfaced at the worst possible time, sidelining him for the last two games of the Rockets’ season as the team failed to hang onto a 3-2 lead over Golden State in the Western Conference Finals. And with Paul and Clint Capela up for new deals, Houston’s roster could get awfully expensive this summer.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Rockets financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:

Guaranteed Salary

James Harden ($30,421,854)
Ryan Anderson ($20,421,546)
Eric Gordon ($13,500,375)
P.J. Tucker ($7,969,537)
Nene ($3,651,480)
Chinanu Onuaku ($1,544,951)
Troy Williams ($122,741) — Waived via stretch provision
Total: $77,632,484

Player Options

None

Team Options

Aaron Jackson ($1,378,242)
Total: $1,378,242

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Zhou Qi ($1,378,242)
Total: $1,378,242

Restricted Free Agents

Clint Capela ($4,749,591 qualifying offer / $7,003,584 cap hold): Bird rights
Total: $7,003,584

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Chris Paul ($35,350,000)¹: Bird rights
Trevor Ariza ($14,099,732): Bird rights
Tarik Black ($3,948,000): Non-Bird rights
Gerald Green ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
Joe Johnson ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
Luc Mbah a Moute ($1,499,698): Non-Bird rights
Total: $57,896,826

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: None

We’re assuming that the Rockets will keep cap holds for Paul and Capela on their books in an effort to re-sign both players. In that scenario, the team would remain well over the cap.
In the extremely unlikely event that Houston wants to clear space by parting with those two players and the rest of their free agents, the Rockets could get up to about $18.38MM in cap room without trading or cutting any guaranteed contracts.

Footnotes:

Based on CBA rules, Paul’s cap hold should be $36,899,243. However, his cap hold can’t exceed his maximum salary, which currently projects to be $35,350,000.

Note: 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 was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Joe Johnson Intends To Continue Playing Career

May 29th, 2018 at 10:27am CST by Luke Adams

Joe Johnson‘s 17th NBA season came to an end on Monday night, and his current contract will expire in a little over a month. However, Johnson told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon that he has no doubts about wanting to continue his playing career next season.

“Hell yeah, I want to keep rolling,” Johnson said. “I’m not even thinking about [retiring].”

Johnson, who turns 37 next month, has seen his role and production decline in recent years. He established new career lows in several categories this year, averaging 6.8 PPG in 55 games (21.9 MPG) with the Jazz and Rockets. While Johnson is still capable of making the occasional big shot, his .276 3PT% was the worst mark of his career, and his .406 FG% was well below his career rate.

Still, having already earned over $200MM in his NBA career, Johnson likely won’t be seeking more than a minimum salary deal this summer, and his locker-room leadership should earn him a spot on a 15-man roster, so it will be a matter of finding the right fit. The veteran forward tells MacMahon that he’d have interest in re-signing with the Rockets or perhaps joining another team capable of vying for a title.

“I would love to have a chance to win a ring,” Johnson said. “I thought we had a great opportunity, man. It slipped away from us. I want to go to a contender. I don’t want to just be out here playing just to be playing.”

Chris Paul Won’t Play In Game 7

May 28th, 2018 at 7:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

7:13pm: Paul has a Grade 2 strain, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN tweets. The same injury cost Harden nearly three weeks of action earlier this season.

6:24pm: Chris Paul will not play in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals tonight, Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated tweets. Coach Mike D’Antoni told reporters the bad news during his pregame press conference.

It’s obviously a serious setback for the Rockets but not unexpected. Despite frantic efforts to get him ready to play, Paul simply did not have enough time to recover from his hamstring strain.

“There’s just no way. He couldn’t explode. He couldn’t push off on it,” D’Antoni said, according a tweet from Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

Paul suffered the injury late in the Rockets’ Game 5 victory on Thursday. Without him, the Rockers will rely heavily on Eric Gordon along with James Harden to run the attack in a seven-man rotation.

Houston obviously missed its star point guard during a second-half collapse Saturday that resulted in a 29-point loss in Game 6. The Rockets were outscored 64-25 after halftime.

The Warriors will also be without one of their key players, as swingman Andre Iguodala was declared out for the fourth straight game earlier in the day due to a left knee injury.

Paul has posted a 21.1/5.9/5.8 stat line through 17 postseason games with Houston. He is in the final year of the contract he signed with the Clippers, and reaching a new deal will be among the Rockets’ priorities this offseason.

Andre Iguodala Out For Game 7

May 28th, 2018 at 12:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors forward Andre Iguodala will miss his fourth consecutive game, head coach Steve Kerr confirmed today (Twitter link via Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News). Iguodala, who hasn’t suited up since Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, won’t play in Game 7 on Monday night.

“He’s frustrated,” Kerr said of Iguodala, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). “His body has not responded to this point.”

Iguodala bumped knees with James Harden in Game 3 and was diagnosed with a left knee bone bruise, which has hobbled him over the last week. In his absence, Kevon Looney has started the last three games for the Warriors — the Rockets won the first two of those three contests, but Golden State pulled out Game 6, with Chris Paul sidelined for the Rockets.

While Iguodala’s injury won’t necessarily have the same impact on the outcome of the series as Paul’s will (CP3 is considered a game-time decision for Game 7), the veteran swingman is an important part of the Warriors’ rotation. Iguodala is arguably Golden State’s top perimeter defender, and is one-fifth of the club’s ultra-effective “Hamptons Five” lineup alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green.

It’s not clear what Iguodala’s availability would look like in the NBA Finals if the Warriors can grab a victory tonight in Houston.

Fatigue Is Not A Factor, Rockets Insist

May 27th, 2018 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets have reduced their rotation to seven players but they won’t use fatigue as an excuse for their second-half collapse against the Warriors in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Stephen Curry have all played more minutes per game than any Rockets player, Feigen notes. “Fatigue is never a factor in the playoffs,” Rockets forward Trevor Ariza told Feigen and other media members. “This is what we prepare for. This is what we work hard all summer for. They started playing harder. They started making shots. That’s it.”

If Paul George re-signs with the Thunder, it will deal a blow to the narrative that other stars don’t like playing with Russell Westbrook, Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman writes. That’s why Westbrook has made public statements about wanting George to return, saying he thinks George “definitely wants to be here,” Dawson adds.

Southwest Notes: Ariza, Cuban, Scandal

May 27th, 2018 at 4:56pm CST by marksuleymanov

Rockets veteran Trevor Ariza has suited up for seven teams in his NBA career, including two separate stints in Houston. As he heads for unrestricted free agency this summer, and the possibility of an eighth team in his future looms, ESPN’s Zach Lowe chronicled Ariza’s well-traveled and decorated career.

As Lowe writes, after various trades early in his career, Ariza questioned why he was constantly changing uniforms and couldn’t stick with one team. It all started coming together for Ariza when he joined the Lakers and evolved his style to the now invaluable “3-and-D,” where you shoot well from the perimeter and play solid defense. Ariza’s former teammate Kobe Bryant spoke glowingly of Ariza in the story.

“We were inseparable,” Bryant said. “If you saw Trevor, you saw me. He didn’t need me to show him how to work. He had it already — that ambition.”

In Houston, Ariza’s role, and therefore his style of play, has been altered to suit the Rockets’ needs. And it has worked so far as the team is one win away from the NBA Finals. Lowe’s piece is well worth the read and provides further insight into how Ariza has become a self-described chameleon in the NBA.

Check out more Southwest Division notes below:

Brandon George and Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News conducted an investigation into a former team employee, nicknamed “Pants DJ,” who allegedly showed and viewed pornographic content at work and made inappropriate gestures. Chris Hyde, a former account executive with the Mavericks, allegedly carried on this behavior for six years and, despite a warning from team owner Mark Cuban, continued it.
As the Mavericks enter the summer, the team has cap space to utilize in free agency and Cuban does not see a reason to save if upgrades are available, even before the NBA Draft, Sefko writes.
In case you missed it, Rockets point guard Chris Paul will likely miss Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals tomorrow night as he nurses an injured hamstring.

Chris Paul ‘Less Likely Than Likely’ For Game 7

May 27th, 2018 at 8:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Chris Paul‘s chances of playing in Game 7 are “less likely than likely,” a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, but the Rockets remain hopeful that his injured right hamstring will heal enough for him to take the court Monday (Twitter link). The team is “working every angle to try,” Woj adds.

Houston obviously missed its star point guard during a second-half collapse Saturday that resulted in a 29-point loss in Game 6. Paul offered advice and moral support on the sidelines, but his absence left a shortened rotation that was outscored 64-25 after halftime.

“I don’t know. I have no idea,” Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said after the game in a video clip tweeted by Mark Berman of Fox 26. “I was in pre-med. Just to let you know, and I’m pretty good. … The doctors, they’ll tell me.” Asked about having Paul on the bench, D’Antoni responded, “I hate it. … He needs to be on the floor. … He’s great. He’s a winner.”

Paul, who suffered the injury on a shot in the final minute of Game 5, continues to receive around-the-clock treatment, writes Janie McCauley of The Associated Press. The Rockets’ training staff wanted Paul to skip the flight to Oakland for Game 6, tweets Tim Cato of SB Nation, but D’Antoni said the plan was always to have him accompany his teammates.

“All our doctors are with us,” D’Antoni told Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “He can get the same type of treatment. Plus, he doesn’t want to miss this. He’s worked his whole career to be here. He’s very responsible for us getting here, so he needs to be here. Treatments will be the same as if he was there, here, doesn’t matter. It will take a few days, and he’ll just have to do what he has to do.”

Paul has been brilliant for the Rockets in the playoffs in his first season in Houston, posting a 21.1/5.9/5.8 line through 17 games. He is in the final year of the contract he signed with the Clippers, and reaching a new deal will be among the Rockets’ priorities this offseason.

Details On 2018 NBA Playoff Pool Money

May 25th, 2018 at 12:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s playoff pool money has increased to $20MM this season, up from $15MM for the last two years and $14MM for the two years before that, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. This pool represents money awarded to teams for certain achievements, which is then divvied up among the club’s players.

According to Zillgitt, the breakdown for 2018’s playoff pool money is as follows:

Regular season achievements:

Best record in NBA (Rockets): $576,843
No. 1 seeds in each conference (Rockets, Raptors): $504,737 each
No. 2 seeds (Warriors, Celtics): $405,684 each
No. 3 seeds (Trail Blazers, Sixers): $302,843 each
No. 4 seeds (Thunder, Cavaliers): $238,001 each
No. 5 seeds (Jazz, Pacers): $198,317 each
No. 6 seeds (Pelicans, Heat): $135,263 each

Postseason achievements:

Teams participating in first round (all playoff teams): $298,485 each
Teams participating in Conference Semifinals (Rockets, Warriors, Jazz, Pelicans, Celtics, Cavaliers, Sixers, Raptors): $355,159 each
Teams participating in Conference Finals (Rockets, Warriors, Celtics, Cavaliers): $586,898 each
Losing team in NBA Finals (TBD): $2,346,947
Winning team in NBA Finals (TBD): $3,541,896

Rockets’ Chris Paul Out For Game 6

May 25th, 2018 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

Rockets point guard Chris Paul will be sidelined for Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday due to a right hamstring strain, the team confirmed today (via Twitter). According to the Rockets, Paul will be re-evaluated after the club returns to Houston.

Paul suffered the injury during the final moments of the Rockets’ Game 5 win over the Warriors, having reportedly felt “a twinge” when he landed after taking a shot on one of the team’s final possessions. As Golden State took the ball back up the court, Paul got to his feet but was unable to get back on defense. He came out of the game at the next whistle, as Houston held on for the victory.

It’s a devastating blow for both the Rockets and for Paul, who has dealt with injuries in the past and has never made an NBA Finals appearance during his 13-year NBA career. With CP3 on the shelf, Houston figures to lean more heavily on Eric Gordon to make plays out of the backcourt alongside James Harden. However, the Rockets – who had already been playing a shortened rotation – will face an uphill battle in Game 6 with the series headed back to Oakland.

If the Warriors pull out Game 6, it would set up a potential Game 7 back in Houston on Monday. Paul will certainly do everything in his power to try to return to the court for that deciding contest, though Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link) suggests there’s an “unmistakable” pessimism emanating from Houston about the point guard’s potential availability.

Chris Paul To Undergo MRI On Injured Hamstring

May 25th, 2018 at 8:22am CST by Luke Adams

Although the Rockets took a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference Finals against the Warriors on Thursday night, the health of Chris Paul is a cause for concern heading into Game 6. Paul suffered an apparent hamstring injury during the final minute of Game 5, and will be re-evaluated after undergoing an MRI on Friday, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.

A team source tells Shelburne that Paul felt “a twinge” in the hamstring when he landed after shooting a jumper on one of Houston’s final possessions, and was still “really sore” after the game. While CP3 didn’t speak to reporters during the postgame presser, Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said that his point guard is “worried” about his hamstring and his status for the rest of the series, as Sam Amick of USA Today details.

“They’ll do whatever they can do,” D’Antoni said. “If he’s there, great, good for him. If he isn’t, we have enough guys, and it’s time for somebody else to step up. We got plenty of guys over there that will have some fresh legs. That’s for sure.”

Paul played a key role in the Rockets’ Thursday night win, and if he’s unable to play in Game 6 and a potential Game 7, Houston’s odds of knocking off the defending champions would decline significantly. It would also be a brutal turn of events for the 13-year veteran, who finds himself one win away from reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in his career.

We’ll wait for an official update on Paul’s health, but for what it’s worth, the 33-year-old remained optimistic as he left the arena on Thursday night. Caught by Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link) as he hopped into a car outside the Toyota Center, CP3 said he’ll “be all right” and expressed hope that he’ll be ready for Game 6.