The Houston Rockets were already positioned to have approximately $60 million in salary cap space in a pivotal 2023 offseason. Now they are poised to add roughly $2.5 million more thanks to Kevin Porter Jr. sitting out Sunday’s 2022-23 finale in Washington.
On the team’s injury/status report, Porter is officially listed as out for Sunday with a sore right knee. By missing the game, the 22-year-old guard will finish with 59 games played, one short of the 60 that, according to the terms of his next contract, would make next season’s $2.4-million bonus for games played considered “likely.” If deemed unlikely, that figure does not count on Houston’s salary cap.
There are no implications to Porter’s actual salary next season, since that will depend on how many games he plays next season. Rather, the implications are strictly to Houston’s salary-cap picture this offseason, since bonuses are considered likely or unlikely to convey based on figures from previous seasons.
Thus, intentional or not, it’s a positive development for Houston’s flexibility during an offseason in which they could target former star James Harden in free agency, among others.
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Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. listed as out (sore right knee.) He will play in 59 games, one shy of the 60 tomake next season's bonus for games played considered a "likely" bonus. It does not impact his salary this season or next but increases Rockets cap room this summer.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) April 8, 2023