- In his review of the Rockets‘ offseason, Shaun Powell of NBA.com notes that the team emphasized offense by extending James Harden and hiring Mike D’Antoni, which was probably the right choice but could “backfire spectacularly.”
Restricted free agent Donatas Motiejunas has gone all summer without a contract offer, and now his agent is turning up the heat on the Rockets, writes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. B.J. Armstrong, who serves as Motiejunas’ representative, said the team hasn’t made a serious offer and then issued a warning about his client’s plans.
“Our moment of truth will be October 1,” Armstrong said. “We’ll make a decision on that day.”
The only move regarding Motiejunas this summer has been the $3.4MM qualifying offer the Rockets made to retain the right to match offers from other teams. His status as a restricted free agent and lingering back problems that limited him to 37 games last season have combined to cool interest in the 25-year-old power forward/center. The Rockets traded him to the Pistons in February, but Detroit voided the deal after Motiejunas failed to pass a physical. He was able to play for the Rockets after returning to Houston, averaging 6.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game after the failed deal.
As a stretch four with 3-point range, Motiejunas figures to be an important weapon in new coach Mike D’Antoni’s offense. Watkins reports that Motiejunas has met with D’Antoni, who promised him a significant role with the team if he re-signs.
Armstrong indicated that Motiejunas may not sign the qualifying offer if the Rockets don’t put together a better deal. However, he recognizes that his client’s options are limited.
“There’s only so much we can do based on the current CBA,” Armstrong said. “I’m not frustrated, this is what it is. We’ll know where the Rockets stand by [Oct. 1]. All deals get done in the 11th hour.”
- In his look back at the Rockets‘ offseason, The Vertical’s Bobby Marks notes that the team’s medical staff will play a vital role this season in trying to keep new additions Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon and Nene healthy.
SEPTEMBER 6, 8:14am: The Rockets don’t expect Zhou to play for them during the 2016/17 season, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com clarifies. According to Watkins, there’s no out clause in the big man’s contract to play in the NBA this season. It seems likely that the two sides will try to work something out in the summer of 2017.
SEPTEMBER 5, 5:01pm: Center Zhou Qi, who was selected 53rd overall in this year’s draft by the Rockets, met with team officials in Houston today, Hupu.com reports (translation via Basketball Insiders). Zhou’s situation is a complicated one, with the 20-year-old under contract with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers for another five years. The big man reportedly has an NBA out clause included in his deal with Xinjiang for 2017, with his buyout amount worth $650,000.
What is unknown at this time is the date Zhou is eligible to exercise that buyout. The Chinese Basketball Association’s season ends in early February, with the playoffs typically completed by early March. American players who ink one-year deals with Chinese clubs are able to sign with NBA teams once their seasons are finished. It’s unclear if Zhou would be able to buy his way out of his contract in the spring, or if he and the Rockets are having discussions regarding next summer.
It would make more sense for the Rockets if the discussions were regarding the 2017/18 season. With Houston currently over the salary cap, the team could only offer him a two-year contract in the spring. Going that route would also essentially burn one year of team control for a brief look at Zhou toward the end of the 2016/17 campaign. If both sides were to wait until next offseason to strike a deal, the Rockets would be able to offer him a longer contract, which would put less pressure on the young big man to produce immediately. I should point out that this is merely speculation on my part.
Zhou appeared in 42 games for the Flying Tigers a season ago, averaging 15.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 3.2 blocks. His shooting line was .603/.600/.758. Very solid numbers for a young big man, though, some NBA teams reportedly believe that the center is actually three or four years older than his listed age.
- The Rockets, Spurs, Lakers and Pacers are among the teams who are interested in Carl Landry, who was waived by the Sixers this week, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets.
- After signing a $118MM extension with the Rockets this summer, James Harden has organized a players-only minicamp for next week, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. It’s the second year for the camp, and teammate Corey Brewer said it’s a sign that Harden has accepted the role of team leader. “He’s the franchise player,” Brewer said. “He signed the extension. So it’s his team, and he’s doing all the right things to do what we need to do to have a chance to win championships.”
- Despite the roster and coaching changes the team has made, the Rockets will only go as far as James Harden takes them, writes Oliver Maroney of Basketball Insiders. The guard is one of the most criticized players in the league, Maroney notes, something that GM Daryl Morey disagrees with. “He’s only a polarizing figure to people who don’t watch,” Morey told Maroney. “Players voted him MVP [in 2014/15] for a reason. He’s had a winning team every season of his career, with multiple Conference Finals appearances.”
AUGUST 22nd: The signing is official, the team announced.
AUGUST 19th: Terry says he has agreed to sign with the Bucks, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston. “They are a young team on the cusp of doing great things and the Bucks have a great coach in Jason Kidd,” Terry said (Twitter link).
AUGUST 18th: The Bucks are in advanced contract talks with veteran point guard Jason Terry, NBA sources told Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Terry, who turns 39 next month, averaged 5.9 points and 1.4 assists in 17.5 minutes for the Rockets last season while appearing in 72 games.
Milwaukee only has 13 players with guaranteed contracts but it is over the salary-cap limit. The Bucks still have the $2.9MM room exception at their disposal. The Rockets informed Terry last month that he was no longer in their plans.
It’s somewhat curious that the Bucks would be interested in Terry, considering they signed free agent Matthew Dellavedova away from the Cavaliers to compete with Michael Carter-Williams at the point guard spot. They also have Tyler Ennis on the roster and it’s noteworthy that the club used Giannis Antetokounmpo with great success as a point forward the second half of last season.
However, Terry could not only provide a veteran locker room presence but also some outside shooting. He’s a career 37.9% shooter on 3-point attempts and could play off the ball with Antetokounmpo running the attack.
Terry has averaged 14.3 points and 4.1 assists in a career that began with the Hawks in 1999/2000.
Joey Dorsey, a veteran of the NBA and European basketball, will spend the next two seasons with Barcelona, tweets international basketball writer David Pick. Dorsey, who was released by the Nuggets last August, will make more than $1MM over the life of his new contract.
The 32-year-old Dorsey was one of four players sent from Houston to Denver last summer in the Ty Lawson trade. However, the Nuggets waived him and his $1,015,421 salary before training camp began. He signed with the Turkish club Galatasaray and later joined Barcelona.
A second-round pick by the Trail Blazers in 2008 after reaching the NCAA finals with Memphis, the 6’8″ Dorsey established a reputation as a physical defender and rebounder during his time in the NBA, but never had enough offensive production to stay in one place very long. He averaged 2.6 points and 3.9 rebounds during his four-year career with the Rockets, Kings and Raptors.
With the free agent signing period winding down and teams looking ahead to the preseason, we at Hoops Rumors will be tracking the Salary Cap figures for each team around the league. These posts will be maintained throughout the season once financial data is reported. They will be located on the sidebar throughout the year, once all the teams’ cap figures have been relayed. You can always check RosterResource.com for up-to-date rosters for each franchise, with the Rockets’ team page accessible here.
Here’s a breakdown of where the Rockets currently stand financially:
Guaranteed Salary
- James Harden —$26,540,100 [Deal contains 15% Trade Kicker]
- Ryan Anderson —$18,735,364
- Eric Gordon —$12,385,665
- Trevor Ariza —$7,806,971
- Lou Williams —$7,000,000
- Patrick Beverley —$6,000,000
- Nene —$2,898,000
- Sam Dekker —$1,720,560
- Marcelo Huertas —$1,500,000 [Waived by team]
- Clint Capela —$1,296,240
- Pablo Prigioni —$1,050,961 [Waived by team]
- Montrezl Harrell —$1,045,000
- Bobby Brown —$680,534
- Chinanu Onuaku —$543,471
- Gary Payton II —$543,471 [Waived by team]
- Kyle Wiltjer —$543,471
- Bobby Brown —$253,759 [Waived by team]
- Isaiah Taylor — $250,000
- Troy Williams — $150,000
- Isaiah Taylor — $50,000 [Waived by team]
- Troy Williams — $31,969 [10-day contract (Mar 10)]
Total Guaranteed Salary= $91,030,536
Cash Sent Out Via Trade: $0 [Amount Remaining $3.5MM]
Cash Received Via Trade: $75K received from Nets in K.J. McDaniels trade [Amount Remaining $3.425MM]
Payroll Exceptions Available
- Room Exception: $0 [Used to sign Nene]
Total Projected Payroll: $91,030,536
Salary Cap: $94,143,000
Estimated Available Cap Space: $3,112,464
Luxury Tax Threshold: $113,287,000
Amount Below Luxury Tax: $22,256,464
Last Updated: 3/24/17
The Basketball Insiders salary pages and The Vertical’s salary database were used in the creation of this post.