Houston Rockets Sign Key Players in Quiet Offseason
The Houston Rockets have been relatively quiet in the 2026 offseason, but they have made some significant moves. After making a significant trade last summer for star forward Kevin Durant, the Rockets have re-signed key players and made strategic trades to strengthen their roster.
What happened?
The Rockets re-signed Tari Eason to a five-year, $81.5MM deal in early July. They also signed Marcus Smart to a two-year, $12.4MM deal using the taxpayer mid-level exception. Additionally, they re-signed Isaiah Crawford to a four-year, $11.3MM deal using Non-Bird rights. Bogdan Bogdanovic signed a one-year minimum salary deal, while Jae'Sean Tate signed a one-year minimum salary deal with a partially guaranteed portion. Julian Phillips and Oscar Tshiebwe also signed one-year minimum salary deals with non-guaranteed portions.
Why it matters for Houston Rockets
The signings of Eason, Smart, and Crawford are significant for the Rockets, as they bring much-needed depth and talent to the roster. With a focus on rebuilding, the team aims to return to the playoffs and compete for a championship.
What comes next?
The Rockets have a busy offseason ahead of them, with several key players set to become free agents. They will need to make strategic decisions to keep their core players and add new talent to the roster. With the recent form of 2W-0D-3L (LWWLL, most recent first) and a last result of 78-98 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on 2026-05-02, the team is looking to turn things around and make a push for the playoffs.
Salary cap situation
The Rockets are operating over the cap and below the first tax apron. They have a team salary of $200.4MM, which is below the luxury tax line by $14K. They also have a partial non-taxpayer mid-level exception and a full bi-annual exception available, but using either one would hard-cap the team at the first apron.
