[ClutchFans] Houston Rockets Salary Cap Update: "Total Rebuild" Edition

Haha, of course not. Just saying it didn't make ME special.

I'm just a cap guy. I'm no Clutch or 00rocketgirl as far as their impact on Rockets fans.

I'm all for taking a risk on Howard. It's a risk worth taking. Especially since Orlando has lost so much leverage and the Rockets may not have to give up the farm to get him.

 

Yeah, it's pretty close. It's just not quite up-to-date.

They still have E'Twaun Moore on there (he was waived); and they don't yet have it updated to account for 2012 first round picks signing at 120% of rookie scale.

Otherwise, it looks pretty accurate.

 

By being under the cap, the Rockets are permitted to aggregate any players (without regard for the 60-day restriction on recently acquired players) so long as the result of that particular trade does not push the Rockets more than $100,000 above the salary cap.

That said, assuming that such a trade WOULD, in fact, push the Rockets over the cap, then I believe that (1) Livingston and Brockman are eligible to be aggregated in trades starting August 27 and (2) the other recently acquired players (Douglas, Harrellson, Forbes, Johnson and Williams) can all be aggregated, regardless.

Livingston and Brockman are subject to the 60-day restriction (if the trade takes the Rockets well above the cap) because the Rockets were above the cap at the time they were acquired (which is what the 60-day restriction looks to). However, assuming that the Camby S&T "happened first" (before the Lowry trade), then the signing of Camby to his new deal should have taken the Rockets below the cap (Camby was on the books for a massive $16.6M cap hold until he signed his deal with Houston and was traded to New York). The Lowry-for-Forbes (salary cap-wise) trade took them even further below the cap. The Lee S&T also was done while the Rockets were below the cap.

ESPN's Trade Machine appears to be consistent with this belief; although I'm always a bit skeptical of trusting that thing.

 

I'm guessing that the Rockets will look to use their cap room in connection with a Dwight Howard-related trade BEFORE offering it to any other free agents. Given the Rockets' current cap situation, there are many, many different scenarios for a big DH trade (some utilizing cap room, some utilizing 150% salary matching, some utilizing both).

I won't be holding my breath for another notable (cap-wise) free agent signing until the Dwight Howard situation is finally resolved . . . however long that may take.

 

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Morey's thought several steps ahead, regardless of which way the Dwight Howard Saga goes. Some of those moves may be "no move at all," as that might be the most prudent decision in a particular instance.

Personally, I'd like to see what iterations of a Howard two-way or Bynum three-way trade exist. Just mulling it over during the weekend, I came up with at least one or two ways that the Rockets could come out of this with Howard or Bynum PLUS a $12.44 million trade exception.

I'd take that (the trade exception) over the $4-5 million in cap room they could otherwise end up with.

 

It's possible but a little tricky and would involve having to trade a LOT of contracts to Orlando. Not sure Hennigan would go for it. However, if the Rockets ended up doing a three-way trade with the Magic and Lakers for Bynum, that avenue becomes a little more practicable (both due to fewer contracts being needed and having an extra team in the Lakers to deposit such [very small] contracts).