Rockets Reportedly Plan to Sign Green, Holiday, Tate to New Contracts in NBA FA
The Houston Rockets are expected to re-sign Jeff Green, Jae'Sean Tate and Aaron Holiday to new deals in free agency, per ESPN's Shams Charania.
Tate will sign a one-year deal, likely at the veteran's minimum, according to The Athletic's Kelly Iko.
The Rockets are looking to build off an impressive year that featured the team winning 52 games and earning the Western Conference's No. 2 playoff seed.
Green, a 6'8" forward, has played 17 NBA seasons. Last season, the 38-year-old averaged 5.4 points on 50.4 percent shooting and 1.8 rebounds per game. He played 32 games (starting three), averaging 12.4 minutes. His next season in Houston would be his third with the Rockets.
The 29-year-old Tate has played five NBA seasons, all with the Rockets. He was a starter on Houston in 2020-21 and 2021-22 but has since moved to a reserve role. Last year, the 6'4" forward averaged 3.6 points on 47.3 percent shooting and 2.3 rebounds in 52 games (two starts), posting 11.3 minutes per game.
Holiday has played seven NBA seasons, including his last two with the Rockets. The 6'0" guard, who turns 29 on Sept. 30, played in 62 games, starting three. He averaged 5.5 points on 43.7 percent shooting (39.8 percent from three) and 1.3 assists over 12.8 minutes per game.
Per Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire, "all three are beloved in Houston’s locker room and looked upon fondly as veteran leaders and mentors."
Per Basketball-Reference, Green and Tate played on team options last year at $8 million and $7.6 million, respectively, before becoming unrestricted free agents this offseason. The Rockets have a $4.9 million team option on Holiday if they so choose.
Iko wrote about the trio on June 3 when discussing the Rockets' offseason possibilities.
"A larger chunk of playing time for [2024 No. 3 overall draft pick Reed Sheppard] would diminish veteran Aaron Holiday’s role," Iko wrote. "Holiday emerged as a trusted option under [head coach Ime Udoka] over the past two seasons. He has a $4.9 million team option for next season, but the Rockets, who have expressed a desire to retain him, would likely wait and see how the rest of the roster pans out, along with the market, before circling back. Jeff Green and Tate, both of whom Houston is fond of, fall into a similar category. There’s a possibility that only veteran minimum contracts would be available."
We'll perhaps find out soon enough what's available for Green, Tate and Holiday, but it does appear that the three will be headed back to Houston at this time.
