Rockets' Updated Roster, Starting Lineup, Salary Cap After Fred VanVleet Contract
July 1, 2023
The Houston Rockets are adding a sorely need veteran leader to the team after agreeing to sign ex-Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet to a three-year, $130 million deal, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Here's a look at how the starting lineup, roster and team salary-cap space shakes out with VanVleet in the mix.
Starting Lineup
PG: Fred VanVleet
SG: Jalen Green
SF: Amen Thompson
PF: Jabari Smith Jr.
C: Alperen Şengün
Amen Thompson, SF: Rookie-scale contract
Cam Whitmore, SF: Rookie-scale contract
Fred VanVleet, PG: $40.8M (2026)
Kevin Porter Jr., PG: $15.9M (2027)
Jabari Smith Jr., PF: $9.3M (2026)
Tari Eason, PF: $3.5M (2026)
TyTy Washington Jr., PG: $2.3M (2026)
Jalen Green, SG: $9.9M (2025)
Jae'Sean Tate, SF: $6.5M (2025)
Alperen Şengün, C: $3.5M (2025)
Usman Garuba, PF: $2.6M (2025)
Josh Christopher, SG: $2.5M (2025)
Kenyon Martin Jr., SF: $1.9M (2024)
Darius Days, SF: Two-way contract
Frank Kaminsky, C: UFA
Boban Marjanović, C: UFA
D.J. Augustin PG: UFA
Willie Cauley-Stein, C: UFA
Trevor Hudgins, PG: RFA
Michael Frazier, SG: RFA
Salary Cap
Spotrac lists the Rockets with an active salary cap of $98.8 million after the VanVleet signing. They are listed as having $20.8 million in "practical cap space."
Spotrac defines that as follows: "This is calculated by determining all guaranteed salaries + any dead cap from non-guaranteed salaries + estimated exercised and declined options + estimated retained cap holds and draft pool cap holds."
Notes
The Rockets have a very talented but very young team in need of some veteran guidance. Enter VanVleet, a seven-year veteran who played an integral role for the 2018-19 NBA champion Raptors off the bench.
He's been a starter for the team ever since and even made the All-Star Game in 2021. Last year, the 29-year-old averaged 19.3 points and 7.2 assists per game.
Now he moves on to a Rockets team that finished tied for a Western Conference-worst 22-60 last year. The talent is there with high lottery picks such as Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson on the roster, and big man Alperen Şengün looks like a keeper as well.
Ultimately, VanVleet looks like a great signing for the Rockets on paper, and they still have cap room left to improve the roster.
