Translated, the team’s conclusion - and it’s a reasonable one - is that 2022-23 cap figures don’t particularly matter, since the Rockets were going to be above the salary cap, regardless, due to the final year of the bloated John Wall contract.

“We’re doing cap planning going out multiple years, and we thought this made a lot of sense for us. I asked #Rockets GM Rafael Stone about the thought process with extending Jae’Sean Tate early: Off the court and on the court, he’s been everything we want to be as an organization and as a group, so we feel like it’s a really good bet. We’re betting on him, and our ability to help him, too. Obviously there’s risk in allowing somebody to hit restricted free agency a year earlier, but as we mapped it out, we thought it was strategic. That’s why the deal happened.įor us, we’re doing (salary) cap planning going out multiple years, and we thought this made a lot of sense for us. I think he’s a very good player, and, obviously, we like the deal, and he did, too. We’re in a business, so I don’t think it’s really about rewarding. While some fans wondered if the unnecessary pay raise was a means of rewarding Tate for his strong play and leadership during his first two NBA seasons, Stone made it clear it was a strategic decision.

11 first responders, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone took questions from media for the first time since that decision.

It was a twist many around the NBA didn’t see coming, since Tate will now be paid more than $5 million more in the coming season than he would have been under his original deal.Īt an annual community event Monday honoring Sept. The 26-year-old’s new deal could run through 2024-25, though with the final year being a team option, 2023-24 is the last fully guaranteed season. After surprisingly declining his $1.8-million team option for 2022-23, the Houston Rockets re-signed Jae’Sean Tate in July to a contract worth up to $22.1 million over three years.

Future comin out strong cover