4 players facing roster cuts for Rockets' final spot

4. Aaron Holiday

Aaron Holiday would be tough for the Rockets to part with, as he provides shooting that the Rockets simply don't have. Holiday made nearly 41 percent of his treys in 2022-23 (on a limited 1.4 attempts) and thrived as the Rockets' back-up point guard in the preseason, behind Fred VanVleet.

And he's a formidable defender, despite being a bit undersized (6-foot, 185 pounds). However, the Rockets didn't seem to be expecting him to have a significant role this season, at least not based on the contract they gave him, which was a $2.3 million partially guaranteed deal that only guarantees him $1.05 million.

And there's somewhat of a positional redundancy there, as rookie Amen Thompson would figure to receive the non-VanVleet minutes at point guard. The Rockets didn't select him fourth overall to simply not give him playing time and development.

And Porter Jr. no longer being in the fold seemingly guarantees Thompson a key role this season. Thompson is a better defender and is a better overall player, minus the shooting (although Thompson's shooting looked just fine during the preseason).

Thompson played a considerable amount of time at the shooting guard position during the preseason, due to the presence of Holiday. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Rockets remediate that and part with Holiday- allowing them to move Thompson back to his natural position.