Re-Grading every Houston Rockets offseason signing

Have you ever had money burning a hole in your pocket? 

You came into it randomly. Sure, you could hang onto it - the bills don't stop coming. Still, it feels like you should spend it on something fun, right? 

That's the position that the Houston Rockets were in last summer - if you'll forgive an imperfect analogy. The Rockets had to reach the salary floor. They had some money they had to spend - as if it were literally burning holes in their pockets. 

So, the Rockets spent. This team went out and landed six free agents of varying degrees of significance. The idea was to inject this young team with strong veterans, and that was always going to be costly.

Did they spend wisely? 

Reggie Bullock 

Bullock doesn't play much. That's fine - he doesn't get paid much, either. The Rockets handed him a one-year, $3 million deal in the dying days of free agency. 

He's been worth that kind of money. Bullock is shooting 41.5% on 1.6 three-point attempts per game. If anything, he should have seen more than 9.7 minutes of action per game. 

It's hard to give this signing an A+. That would suggest a player who moves the needle more than Bullock. With that said, we think he made a sensible addition to the roster. 

Grade: B

Aaron Holiday 

Another veteran on a one-year deal. It's hard to be critical of the Holiday signing. Even if he was the worst player in the NBA, his one-year, $2.3 million deal would be inconsequential. 

As it stands, he's been a fairly impactful reserve for the Rockets. Holiday sees 16.2 minutes of action per night for the Rockets. He's shooting 39.3% from long-range, and he always plays effortful defense. 

That's not to say he's perfect. Holiday has developed a penchant for commandeering offensive possessions that many Rockets fans would prefer to see a younger player orchestrate. Still, he doesn't need to have been perfect to earn a solid grade. 

Grade: B

Jeff Green

Now, we're looking at a player who's on the hook for another season. Green is on a two-year, $16 million contract with the Rockets. 

He's certainly endeared himself to the fans. Most expected Green to be merely a locker-room presence. To be sure, his impact as a veteran who's been around this league can be seen. 

At the same time, he's also been solid on the floor. Green's stats won't wow anyone, but he's still a serviceable defender. Shockingly, he can even throw down some impressive dunks at 37. 

On the other hand, his effectiveness has wained as the season has worn on. Green is likely to be dead money on the Rockets' ledger next season. They shouldn't regret signing him, but there are drawbacks to along with the benefits. 

Grade: B-

Jock Landale 

Like Green, Landale is a player whose story isn't told with numbers. If you want to assess his value, you need to use the eye test. 

For most of this season, anyone with eyes could agree that signing him was a mistake. Now, it appears that Landale was likely suffering from an ankle injury. He's been a much more effective player since March. 

That's going to change our evaluation of his contract. Landale is on a four-year deal that pays $8 million annually. Yet, the deal is non-guaranteed at the beginning of each offseason. That could make Landale an attractive trade chip for teams with financial constraints. 

Still, we can't disregard the bulk of the 2023-24 season. Landale hasn't returned on the investment for the most part. This deal is fine, but it's far from perfect. 

Grade: C+ 

Dillon Brooks 

Have we been too generous so far? Let's balance that out. We do not like the Brooks signing. 

Sure, he's shooting a passable 36.7% from long-range. That was the biggest concern with Brooks heading into the season. Unfortunately, Brooks has reverted - he's shooting 32.9% over the last 15 games. 

Meanwhile, even his defense has been short of spectacular. Brooks has a -0.2 Defensive Box Plus/Minus this year. That number is skewed by the fact that he routinely takes tough assignments, but it's still suboptimal. 

Otherwise, every worry about his shot selection has been validated. Brooks is on a four-year, $20 million deal. If he keeps torpedoing the offense, that could be dead money soon. 

It's not all bad. Brooks has set a competitive tone for this team, and that was necessary. Still, $20 million is a lot of money to pay for a locker room presence.

Grade: D 

Fred VanVleet

When VanVleet's deal was first announced, it was met with outrage. We're paying this guy over $40 million a year? 

This year, sure. Next year, yes. After that, this deal has a team option. VanVleet's contract was cleverly constructed to simultaneously be an overpay, and team friendly. 

In the meantime, VanVleet's assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.69 ranks 20th in the NBA. If you filter out low-volume players, only Tyrese Haliburton, Chris Paul, Tyus Jones, and Monte Morris are ahead. Even from that group, Haliburton is the only player with comparable responsibility. 

Sure, VanVleet can be frustratingly quick to shoot off the dribble. He's still revitalized this Rockets franchise Fans don't need to worry about his average annual value on such a short deal - this was an outstanding signing. 

Grade: A