Rockets' Updated Salary Cap After Reported James Harden, Victor Oladipo Trade
The Houston Rockets' roster received a makeover with the reported blockbuster trade involving James Harden and Victor Oladipo, among others, on Wednesday.
Here are the full details of the four-team deal, per The Athletic's Shams Charania:
- Rockets receive Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, three Brooklyn first-round picks (2022, 2024, 2026), Milwaukee first-round pick (2022, unprotected), four Brooklyn first-round pick swaps (2021, 2023, 2025, 2027)
- Nets receive James Harden
- Pacers receive Caris LeVert and second-round pick
- Cavaliers receive Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince
The deal will have ramifications both on and off the court, as Houston will build around different contracts.
Gone is $85.6 million owed to Harden over this season and next, which doesn't account for the $47.4 million player option he holds for 2022-23. Meanwhile, the Rockets will take on the contracts of Oladipo ($21 million this season), Exum ($9.1 million this season) and Rodions Kurucs ($1.8 million this season).
Per Spotrac, Houston's active roster carries a $128.4 million cap number. That goes down to $89 million for next season, however, with a slew of players coming off the books, most notably Oladipo, P.J. Tucker, Ben McLemore, DeMarcus Cousins and Exum.
Granted, if Oladipo and the Rockets prove to be a good fit, he could re-sign. The Rockets are on the hook for John Wall's $44.3 million next season (and $47.4 million player option after that), after all, and may be hesitant to lean into a full rebuild.
There had been growing speculation that Oladipo and the Pacers were heading for a divorce during the offseason. SNY's Ian Begley reported in May that teams were "keeping an eye on" Indiana after contract talks with the 28-year-old stalled.
In September, The Athletic's Jared Weiss reported that Oladipo was "looking to move on" from the Pacers this offseason. He denied wanting to leave Indiana during an Instagram Live chat with rapper Fat Joe (h/t Clutch Points).
"I'm a Pacer," Oladipo said. "I'm a Pacer. … Those rumors on the internet, I don't know where they're coming from. I'm just focused on getting my knee right for next year."
The Pacers held on to the two-time All-Star when the season started. He's looked like his peak self so far, averaging 20.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.
Oladipo's health and contract status clouded things for the Pacers. He was Indiana's best player in his first two seasons with the team but didn't make his 2019-20 season debut until Jan. 29 because of ongoing rehab and recovery from a ruptured quad tendon he suffered in a January 2019 game against the Toronto Raptors.
In just 19 games during the regular season, Oladipo averaged 14.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest with a 39.4 field-goal percentage. The scoring and rebound averages were his lowest since he was a rookie with the Orlando Magic in 2013-14. His shooting percentage was the worst of his seven-year career.
