Houston’s free agency spending tools for 2024 NBA offseason
Oct 2, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone smiles before the preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Unlike 2023, when the Rockets used their significant space beneath the NBA’s salary cap to sign veterans like Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, Houston will operate above the cap in the 2024 offseason.
But that doesn’t mean general manager Rafael Stone is in a bad spot, when it comes to potential upgrades to the roster. Trades are always possible, and the Rockets also have a number of salary cap exceptions to use for outright signings. Because Houston remains well below the NBA’s luxury tax line, there are no penalties for using them.
Furthermore, when it comes to trade proposals, Houston also has a number of mid-sized, short-term contracts —think players like Jae’Sean Tate, Jock Landale, Steven Adams, and Jeff Green — that could potentially be used for salary matching purposes.
With that in mind, with help from the capsheets.com website of NBA salary cap guru Yossi Gozlan, here’s a look at Houston’s financial tools entering 2024 free agency. Deals can be reached starting June 30.
As always, teams have an unlimited amount of minimum-salary deals that can be handed out, until they reach the NBA’s roster limit. As such, this rundown focuses on exceptions above the minimum.
Keep in mind that under the NBA’s latest Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), exceptions can now be used to acquire players via a trade or waiver claim, as well. Outright free agency signings will remain the most common use, but they are no longer the only use.
Each year, the NBA’s new fiscal year starts in July, which makes for a busy transaction window from late June to early July to set the table.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Houston’s free agency spending tools for 2024 NBA offseason