Datasets:

---

Recag

/

Rp_CommonC_399

like 0

ERROR: type should be string, got "https://rocketswire.usatoday.com/2019/05/12/rockets-gm-daryl-morey-luxury-tax/\nReport: GM Daryl Morey given 'green light' to pay luxury tax next season\nKelly Cohen\nThe Houston Rockets are on their way back to the drawing board after being eliminated from the 2019 NBA playoffs on Friday night by the Golden State Warriors.\nTheir elimination in the Western Conference Semifinals is the fourth time in five seasons that the Rockets have been bounced from the postseason by the Warriors.\nNow, Houston has to figure out what to do, and quick. But unfortunately for the Rockets, they do not have cap space to make a major free agency move because James Harden and Chris Paul will be paid more than $76 million next season alone.\nBut according to a question and answer with Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, general manager Daryl Morey is not necessarily looking to avoid paying the luxury tax again next season.\nQ: So how do they get better?\nA: Never rule out a bold move, but the most likely avenues are with the mid-level exception and minimum contracts. They could have as much as $9 million of mid-level money to spend, though given what that would take under CBA rules and the roster constraints that would bring, it is much more likely they operate with the $5.7 million exception.\nThough spending the exception money would push the Rockets back into the luxury tax, general manager Daryl Morey has already been given a green light to pay the tax, a person with knowledge of the team’s planning said.\nAnd with Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta expressing his displeasure of the team’s elimination, it’s clear that something is going to happen this offseason for Houston.\n“I can promise you, we’re gonna win some championships with James Harden because we’re not going to sit here,” Fertitta told reporters after Game 6. “We will go to battle every year. We’re going to have a strong offseason, and we’re going to do whatever we can do to be a better team. We’re not gonna sit on our hands. I can promise you that.\nNext season, the Rockets are expected to have seven players guaranteed for $117.7 million, assuming Nene opts into his $3.8 million player option, RocketsWire previously reported on Sunday.\n“They have $4.2 million in non-guaranteed salaries toward Chris Chiozza, Michael Frazier and Isaiah Hartenstein, who is only guaranteed for $708,426. Altogether they have $122.2 million in total salaries, putting them just $7.5 million below the luxury tax. They will certainly be a luxury tax team this season once they fill out the rest of their roster,” wrote Yossi Gozlan.\nIt will be fairly interesting to see what retooling and tinkering the Rockets do this offseason.\nUnfinished business: Why Danuel House Jr. is primed for more growth\nAmsal Madhani\nAfter a hard-fought win earlier this summer at Houston's NEX Pro League Pro-Am, Rockets Wire asked forward Danuel House Jr. a simple question during a postgame interview: \"You've finally made it to the championship game. How are you feeling right now?\"\nThe native Houstonian promptly responded with, \"There's unfinished business.\" It's a fitting quote because that's the mentality he seems to have brought to his entire summer.\nAfter first signing with the Rockets in November 2018, one month into the 2018-19 season, House Jr. became a surprisingly strong addition to the team. He was initially signed due to the...\nNew ESPN projection shows Rockets as NBA's best team\nNewly released 2019-20 NBA season projections based on ESPN's real plus-minus (RPM) statistic have the Houston Rockets as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and the best team in the NBA.\nThe formula's result mirrors those of Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight, which also lists Houston as the NBA's best team.\nIn the RPM-based predictions organized by ESPN staff writer Kevin Pelton, the Rockets are projected to have the most wins in the West at 53.7 (on average) and are given a 99% chance of making the playoffs.\n\"Despite swapping...\nHarden, Westbrook lead Rockets in offseason workouts at UCLA\nHouston Rockets players including James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Danuel House Jr., Gary Clark, Isaiah Hartenstein, Chris Clemons, and Ben McLemore worked out together Monday at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).\nTheir work was captured in Instagram posts from GM Daryl Morey. Led by Harden, the NBA's 2018 MVP, the Rockets have prioritized offseason team workouts prior to training camp in recent years.\nWestbrook played his college basketball at UCLA from 2006 through 2008, while Harden also grew up in Los Angeles. According to former NBA head coach Earl Watson (another UCLA alum), Harden and Westbrook trained..."