Houston Rockets: 3 trade deadline do’s and don’ts

Houston Rockets trade deadline don’t #3: Add salary for 2023-24

The Rockets have avoided adding future salary and for good reason. The Rockets have no guaranteed money on their cap sheet for the 2023-24 season and they should try their best to keep it that way.

Eventually, the Rockets will want to start signing players to extension and in free agency but right now they should look to keep 2023-24 as clean as possible. Christian Wood will be a free agent in the summer of 2023 and that’s when John Wall’s contract comes off the books as well.

If the Rockets play their cards right they could be sitting on a mountain of cap space and draft picks that summer and could be major players in free agency and in trades. In the NBA there are two ways to build a championship team, get lucky through the draft or be aggressive through trade and free agency.

The Rockets are building a path to be able to do both and they should keep their eyes focused on the summer of 2023 to be their big offseason. Unless a superstar is available, the Rockets need to keep adding guys on short-term deals and wait until the time is right.

Next: Trade deadline do #2