Houston Rockets: Salary Cap Space 2020

We’ve summarized what Houston Rockets fans can expect from their squad in terms of salary cap space this offseason. Below you’ll find lists of the players expected back on the roster, the team’s potential free agents and a number of insights about questions the franchise will face before the 2021 campaign.

In addition to a summary for each of the 30 teams (accessible in the link grid below), we’ve also tiered the top NBA free agents league-wide and published a general comparison of all teams’ cap space. Follow @SLAMnewswire on Twitter for constant offseason updates as we head into free agency.

Projected Roster Players

Chris Clemons$1,517,981Non-Guaranteed
Robert Covington$12,138,345Guaranteed
Eric Gordon$16,869,276Guaranteed
James Harden$41,254,920Guaranteed
Danuel House Jr.$3,717,000Guaranteed
Ben McLemore$2,283,034Non-Guaranteed
David Nwaba$1,824,003UFA, TO
Austin Rivers$2,436,046UFA, PO
P.J. Tucker$7,969,537Guaranteed
Russell Westbrook$41,358,814Guaranteed

Projected Free Agents

Tarik Black$3,948,000Cap Hold – UFA
Bruno Caboclo$1,620,564Cap Hold – UFA
DeMarre Carroll$1,620,564Cap Hold – UFA
Tyson Chandler$1,620,564Cap Hold – UFA
Trevon Duval$1,445,697Cap Hold – UFA
Vince Edwards$1,445,697Cap Hold – UFA
Kenneth Faried$1,620,564Cap Hold – UFA
Michael Frazier$1,445,697Cap Hold – RFA, 2W
Jeff Green$1,620,564Cap Hold – UFA
William Howard$1,445,697Cap Hold – UFA, 2W
Thabo Sefolosha$1,620,564Cap Hold – UFA

Dead Money

Troy Williams$122,741

2020 NBA Draft Picks

None$0

Exceptions Available

  • Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception – $9,258,000
  • Bi-Annual Exception – $3,623,000

Key Offseason Decisions

  • How will being close to the luxury tax impact Houston keeping players? This comes into play most with Ben McLemore (non-guaranteed), David Nwaba (team option) and Chris Clemons (non-guaranteed). If the tax is an issue, expect at one or two of these players to be let go.
  • Will Austin Rivers exercise his player option? Rivers could make more on the open market, but it won’t be much more. Rivers has also found a nice fit in Houston as a backup guard.

Projected Team Salary

$150,945,869

Houston has lots of roster spots to fill, but is right at the edge of the luxury tax. That’s the marker to watch for roster decisions for the Rockets. If the staying out of the tax remains a priority, expect Houston to move on from what players they can. That will free up enough room to fill out the roster with minimum signings, while staying under the tax. (@KeithSmithNBA)

Cap Space Forecast

-$41,805,869 (15th out of 30). $5,615,217 under the Luxury Tax.


Team Salary Cap Outlooks

AtlanticCentralSoutheast
BostonChicagoAtlanta
BrooklynClevelandCharlotte
New YorkDetroitMiami
PhiladelphiaIndianaOrlando
TorontoMilwaukeeWashington
NorthwestPacificSouthwest
DenverGolden StateDallas
MinnesotaLA ClippersMemphis
Oklahoma LA LakersNew Orleans
PortlandPhoenixHouston
UtahSacramentoSan Antonio