I think 3rd and 4th year being non-guaranteed is a good sign. He is a bit older as a role player and I have seen Lakers fans say that his movement laterally has clearly declined. He used to be able to guard 1 to 5 pretty well, now he's struggling a bit more staying in front of guards. Nonetheless, I think his workload will be less on the Rockets and he's the type of player that prides himself on being the glue guy.
Initially I was not pleased about a 4 year deal, but now I'm pumped... great 2 yr deal, with flexibility in yr 3 and 4 to waive him or turn the contract into a trade filler contract and guarantee the exact amount we need to complete the trade. Stone. Cold. Stunner. Looking forward to seeing the FVV and Capela details.
The PO on the 4th year is kind of weird coz his 3rd year is also non guaranteed. You’d think he’d want a PO on the 3rd year instead
It's hard to criticize this contract given the amount of flexibility it gives us, especially as a potential trade piece down the line. Excellent work by Stone & co.
I’m guessing he can still opt out even after the non guaranteed salary becomes guaranteed? But then again it only works if the PO is on the 3rd year. Otherwise if he’s cut on year 3, the PO becomes useless
The way I read it: Year 3: The Rockets have a team option. They can cut him loose if they want. Year 4: Both the Rockets and DFS have an option. IIRC, whenever both the player and team have an option, it is highly unlikely both sides exercise.
Interesting. If Rox decide to cut him on year 4, he still can exercise his option to stay on the team, right?
No Mutual options are about getting him more money if he is overperforming the contract and wants to opt out even if the Rockets want to keep him. If he's not playing well enough for the Rockets to exercise then he has no say.
I’m more confused now lol. How can he get more money if it’s non guaranteed to begin with? Edit: see your edit. That makes more sense. Thanks!
If he's coming off an amazing 3rd season and the Rockets want to keep him, he can just opt out and go get more money. If he's a scrub after year 3 and wants that last season, the Rockets can just reject it.
My reading of the CBA is that any option year (player or team) needs to have more salary guaranteed than the previous year (I believe this is what Nate Duncan keyed in on when he mentioned that the 3rd year needed to be non-guaranteed as well when the 3+1 structure was originally reported). So a contract structure that makes sense to why they would put in a year 4 "mutual option" would be similar to what the Rockets did with KPJ; if they want DFS for 2027-2028, they need to guarantee both Y3 and Y4 on some trigger date; this would then allow DFS to have a true player option that matters in 2028-2029. I think this is pretty nice for both sides; it protects the Rockets in case DFS can't recover from his ankle and knee injuries, but it also lets him time the market if he proves he is recovered and aging gracefully into his mid-30s. If this is the actual structure, it will essentially be FVV's Rockets tenure all wrapped into a single contract: guaranteed two year salary with either an out after year 2, or a new 1+1 PO.
This contract is an S+ when you consider it expires the same time as FVV. Rox will be able to clear massive capspace in 2 yrs.
DFS is basically a clone of Dillon Brook with a cheaper contract with better terms. Its ok if he cant stay in front of quicker guards the rest of the crew can chase small guards (FVV, Reed, Amen, Tari).
The original terms felt like an overpay, but is overall fine if you just want to win now and pay later. Later with the 4th year turning out to be a nothing-burger felt like a fair deal, but still 3 years seemed a little steep. 2 years guaranteed is the true "fair" deal given his age and role. I wouldn't call it team-friendly, since if you look at this off-season signings, a lot of similarly thought of role players took even less money. But it's definitely a good structure for the Rockets to not be hamstrung by year 3. As that's the year Amen will be making $50-60mil/yr.
