4 most overpaid Houston Rockets heading into next season

For the average fan, any NBA player could be viewed as overpaid. After all, we're probably all working citizens who have full-time jobs year-round, and the average corporate professional doesn't make a seven-figure annual salary.

But there are overpaid players in every organization, much like how you likely believe some of your co-workers may be overpaid. The difference is that you may not know the salaries of all of your colleagues.

(At least you shouldn't).

The Houston Rockets are the same, as they too have overpaid players.

The Houston Rockets can only hope to see several intricate players absolve the ‘overpaid’ label entering the 2023-24 season.

Granted, a good percentage of their players are on rookie deals still, as they've opted to rebuild through the draft and they haven't had to extend any of their drafted players thus far.

In spite of that, there are obvious players who are overcompensated for what they can bring to the table. Let's take a look at a few of those players.

4. Jock Landale

Jock Landale would be higher on this list if it weren't for the structure of his contract. Landale was inked to a four-year deal worth $32 million, giving him an average annual value of $8 million.

Of Landale's $32 million, only the first year is guaranteed ($8 million), as the second and third years are non-guaranteed and the final year contains a team option. Landale can thank Brook Lopez for his deal with the Rockets, as the Rockets reportedly had a deal in place with Lopez, who ultimately backed out at the last minute to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks.

This left the Rockets flat-footed, with no back-up plan in mind. Hence, they turned to Landale, who landed a massive pay raise from $1.56 million in 2022-23 to $8 million in 2023-24.

Landale doesn't provide much on the offensive end but is significantly better on the defensive end. But still not quite worth $8 million annually.

3. Jeff Green

Fresh off of a 2022-23 campaign in which he won his first NBA championship, Jeff Green secured the bag. Green made $4.5 million last season as a reserve who only yielded 19.5 minutes per contest, which was a career-low. Rockets coach Ime Udoka prioritized veterans with championship experience, stating that the young Rockets needed adults in the room.

Green is on a two-year deal worth $19.2 million, with $3.2 million coming in likely incentives. The guaranteed portion of Green's deal is $16 million, giving him an average annual value of $8 million.

This makes Green the fifth-highest-paid player on the Rockets' roster, which seems quite egregious considering the fact that he isn't expected to have a big role on the court. Hell, the last time we saw Green on the court, he made just 28.8 percent of his threes and posted a Player Efficiency Rating of 11, which is well below the league average of 15.

Sure, PER isn't exactly the best metric but that's his lowest mark in that category since 2016-17 and the second-lowest of his career. Also, Green hasn't had a salary this high since 2016-17, in which he made $15 million.

In fact, in just one year with the Rockets, Green will be making practically the same amount of money as he made in two years with the Denver Nuggets. Just to be a locker room guy and potentially play the Udonis Haslem role.

Think about that.

2. Fred VanVleet

Fred VanVleet checks all the boxes for the Rockets: he's a legitimate floor general, he has a championship under his belt, he's a respectable defender, and he's a great veteran presence in the locker room. But that doesn't mean he isn't overpaid.

VanVleet is making $42.8 million on average, making him the highest paid player on the team by a country mile. You may be thinking 'well the Rockets have a young team, so of course he's making the most money'.

Again, he's still overpaid for what he brings to the table. After all, he just posted averages of 19.3 points, 7.2 assists, 39.3 percent from the field, and 34.2 percent from deep, the latter of which is a career-low.

This season, VanVleet is set to make more money than Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Kyrie Irving, Ja Morant, Darius Garland, and Jrue Holiday. Granted, the reason is understandable, as the Rockets were battling the "Rockets tax", meaning they were facing the ramifications of being one of the worst teams in the league over the last three seasons and didn't have much to offer aside from a hefty pay day.

So it's understandable how we got here, but VanVleet is occupying 28 percent of the Rockets' cap space, which is again quite hefty.

1. Dillon Brooks

Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka made it a point to add defensive reinforcements, and rightfully so, as the Rockets have been one of the worst defenses in each of the last three seasons. The Rockets decided to add Dillon Brooks, who the Memphis Grizzlies couldn't wait to get rid of, to help shore up the defense on the wing.

The Rockets gave Brooks a four-year deal worth $86 million with the potential to reach $90 million in incentives. In other words, the Rockets were determined to land their guy and were willing to overpay if necessary.

It's unknown who exactly the Rockets were bidding against for Brooks' services, but again, something made them feel compelled to climb the financial ladder. But why?

For starters, Brooks isn't a 3-and-D player, as his 3-point shot isn't formidable enough to draw that moniker (32.6 percent on 6 attempts in 2022-23 and 30.9 percent on five attempts in 2021-22).

His defense is all-league but he doesn't seem to understand his role on the offensive end, which could cause problems for the Rockets down the line.