In the 2024 NBA offseason, the Houston Rockets have undoubtedly been in the spotlight. The team that shone in the draft, through precise selection and trade, not only picked the sharpshooter Shepard, but also traded the No. 44 pick for the potential rising star AJ Griffin on the second day of the draft, and also signed the black and hard undrafted center Dante, further enriching the team's roster. The Rockets already have "six sons", that is, six outstanding young people, and now, the talent of this team is even more overflowing.
However, at the same time, the Rockets also face a big challenge - their total salary has exceeded the hard salary cap. Recently, Rockets reporter Michael Shapiro wrote about the Rockets' salary space, and he believes that the crowded rotation lineup keeps the Rockets from using the mid-level exception to sign. "The Rockets' current salary structure is more complex than last year's, and their total salary has exceeded the salary cap, but is below the luxury tax line, which allows them to sign a $12.9 million mid-class exception," the article revealed. But given the composition of the Rockets' roster, I would be very surprised if this mid-range exception was used. ”
What? The Rockets, a team that doesn't even have All-Star players, actually surpasses the hard salary cap? There is no shortage of doubts about this status quo. Some have accused Rockets general manager Stone of lacking discipline in team building, arguing that he has not only brought All-Star players to the team, but also put the team in a salary dilemma. Considering that the Rockets are still only a civilian roster at the moment, this seems difficult for fans to accept. However, after a closer analysis, it is not difficult to see that General Manager Rafael Stone is actually doing quite well.
First, the depth of the Rockets' roster has been greatly improved under Stone's operation. Now, the Rockets have as many as 10 players with starter quality. Shin Jing, Smith Jr., Dillon, Green, Van Vleet, Adams, Ethan, Whitmore, Green, Shepard, Tate, AJ Griffin. These players, placed on other teams, are likely to be in the starting lineup. This depth of roster allows the Rockets to remain competitive against any opponent. Even in the absence of star players, the Rockets were able to rely on their overall strength to maneuver their opponents.
Secondly, Stone has shown great wisdom in the management of the team's salary. While the Rockets' current salary totals exceed the hard salary cap, that doesn't mean they can't bring in big-name players in the future. In fact, with the Rockets' salary structure, the Rockets will be able to free up more than $60 million in salary space next summer. Even if Shin Kyung and Green face contract extensions, as long as they make good use of their bird rights (Bird clause), they can still free up a huge salary space. This huge salary space is enough for the Rockets to compete for any superstar they like in the free market.
In addition, the Rockets have a large number of draft picks. These draft picks can not only be used as trade chips to help the Rockets bring in more excellent players, but also can be used to select potential new stars in the draft to reserve talent for the future development of the team. It can be said that under Stone's careful operation, the future of the Rockets is full of infinite possibilities. We can't deny that the Rockets do face some challenges at the moment. However, under Stone's leadership, there is reason to believe that the Rockets will be able to overcome these difficulties. In next summer's free agency, we could see the Rockets bring in a superstar who will transform the civilian team into one of the league's top powerhouses.