As part of the franchise’s rebuilding plan, the Houston Rockets are clearly prioritizing future draft assets and playing time for younger players. Yet, they have to work within the confines of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement and its salary cap rules.
For example, in the trade sending Eric Gordon to the Clippers for a first-round pick swap in 2023, the Rockets had to take back veterans John Wall and Danny Green for salary matching purposes. Both were quickly waived, allowing them to sign elsewhere while maximizing internal playing time for younger prospects.
Years earlier, in the trade sending Russell Westbrook to the Wizards, the Rockets received a first-round draft pick (eventually used as part of the package to trade for Alperen Sengun) but were required to take Wall back for salary purposes. Eventually, Wall was held out of games and eventually bought out to make room for Kevin Porter Jr.’s playing time as the starting point guard.
That’s led to a dubious situation in 2022-23 in which Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is spending much more money on players who aren’t playing for his team than he is on those who actually are. (Per HoopsHype’s Yossi Gozlan, the gap is more than $30 million.)
The good news for general manager Rafael Stone is that none of these obligations extend beyond the 2022-23 season, and Houston is currently positioned to have a league-leading figure of up to $60 million in approximate salary cap room this offseason.
For now, courtesy of HoopsHype salary data, here’s a look at who’s on the books for the Rockets. Money spent on players no longer on the roster is widely known as “dead money.”