NBA FREE AGENCY
Key Free Agents: C Kelly Olynyk (2020-21 salary – $12.8M), G Avery Bradley ($5.9M – Team Option), F David Nwaba ($1.8M), F Sterling Brown ($1.6M)
Other Free Agents: G Dante Exum ($9.6M), C D.J. Wilson ($4.5M), F Cameron Oliver ($43K), F Cameoron Reynolds ($33K), G Armoni Brooks (Two-Way), F Anthony Lamb (Two-Way)
Free agency could be a period where the Rockets make a play at some younger, highly talented free agents, but ultimately, they will likely be looking to dump some salaries. The two key guys on Houston that they will likely look to trade in the offseason are John Wall ($44.3M 2021-22 salary) and Eric Gordon ($18.2M).
Until both of these guys are moved, the Rockets do not really have room to go after big name players like their front-office would like to do. Also, with free agency being a “down year” this offseason in terms of total talent, the Rockets could hold off anyways on making big moves in free agency.
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Nonetheless, the Rockets will be exploring trade opportunities for both Wall and Gordon because they do have some guys that they are wanting to bring back, starting with Kelly Olynyk. After being traded to Houston at the trade deadline, Kelly Olynyk was fantastic for the Rockets, averaging 19.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and shooting 39.2% from three-point range.
He was arguably their best player on their roster this year and with Olynyk being a free agent, he will probably draw a handful of interest league-wide. If the Rockets want to keep him, they will likely be looking at a three or four-year deal worth around $60M in the offseason for Kelly Olynyk.
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Along with Olynyk, the Rockets will also look to re-sign Sterling Brown and possibly Avery Bradley, who has a $5.9M team option for the 2021-22 season. Jae’Sean Tate and Kenyon Martin Jr. also have non-guaranteed contracts that the Rockets could use for extra cap space, but both guys are fantastic, relatively young players that Houston will want to build with for the foreseeable future.
The possibility of going after guys like Evan Fournier, Tim Hardaway Jr., Kelly Oubre Jr. and others on the wing does exist in free agency this offseason for Houston, but it seems likely that they will look to hold onto most of their cap space until they are able to move the contracts of John Wall and Eric Gordon.
