The Houston Rockets certainly exceeded their preseason expectations. To go from missing the playoffs five straight years to the second seed in the tough Western Conference is extraordinary. Unfortunately, they fell in seven games in the opening round to a battle-tested Golden State Warriors team. They nearly overcame a 3-1 series deficit, but couldn’t quite complete the comeback.
Now the Rockets focus is on the offseason, and they have some key free agents they will have to decide to keep or let move on. Let’s predict what happens with them this summer.
Stay Or Go? Predicting What Happens With Rockets Free Agents
Steven Adams – Stay
Many probably believed that this season would be the only one that saw Steven Adams don a Rockets jersey. With the way the playoffs went, and the fact that Houston saw he could play on the court alongside Alperen Sengun, they may instead decide to keep him in town.
The 31-year-old center is arguably the best offensive rebounder in the league. His brute strength never makes it easy for opposing big men to do their work inside and forces guards to hesitate taking it to the hole. Now 11 years deep into his career, a one or two-year deal for Adams would be a worthwhile investment for Houston.
Aaron Holiday (Team Option) – Leave
On a team that finished near the bottom in three-pointers made, Aaron Holiday provided a spark at times. The 28-year-old point guard made 39.8% of his attempts from beyond the arc. He shot 38.7% from deep in 2023-24, his first year with Houston.
Holiday played in just three of the seven postseason outings though. His club option is for around $4.9 million. While that isn’t an outlandish price point for Holiday, the team will likely want to give more backcourt minutes to Reed Sheppard next season.
Jae’Sean Tate – Leave
A right ankle injury sidelined Jae’Sean Tate for the entire opening round. It’s unclear if he would have played even if he was available. His playing time has decreased for five straight seasons since being named to the All-Rookie First Team in 2020-21.
The Rockets are a deep team, and the 29-year-old Tate may look elsewhere to a club that utilizes him more. He has gone from starting 77 games in 2021-22, to 18 total in the three years since.
Fred VanVleet (Team Option) – Stay
Fred VanVleet surely has his flaws. Most notably, VanVleet can be quite an inefficient scorer. Shooting 34.5% on threes and 43.0% on two-point tries doesn’t even put him within a stone’s throw of league average.
Despite that, expect the Rockets to pick up his nearly $44.9 million club option for 2025-26. His scoring efficiency improved in the postseason. VanVleet rarely turns the ball over while forcing many on the other end. The team also went 41-19 with him in the lineup and just 11-11 without him.
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