Rockets open second roster spot with Justin Holiday contract buyout

One day after reaching a contract buyout with veteran guard Danny Green, the Houston Rockets reportedly agreed to another with Justin Holiday, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Now 33 years old, Holiday plans to sign with Dallas upon clearing waivers, Windhorst reports.

By waiving Green and Holiday, the Rockets now have two open roster spots, which could be used to sign other veterans or perhaps to evaluate younger players as another rebuilding season winds down.

Because Green and Holiday’s contracts expire after the 2022-23 season, neither buyout carries any long-term ramifications for Houston’s salary cap picture or other financial planning.

Both Green (in the Eric Gordon trade) and Holiday (in the Garrison Mathews and Bruno Fernando trade with Atlanta) were acquired by Houston largely for salary matching purposes. The primary incentive to the team in both of those trades was future draft compensation.

Though Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said he was open to keeping both Green and Holiday around, the priorities to fill any vacated minutes from the likes of Gordon, Mathews, and Fernando are second-year prospects Josh Christopher and Usman Garuba.

Thus, if Green and Holiday weren’t content with uncertain playing time (if any), it probably wasn’t worth it to the Rockets to keep them against their will to finish out the 2022-23 season on a bad team — especially since they were likely to leave after the year, regardless.

Time will tell on how Stone and the Rockets choose to fill those roster spots. With a short-handed roster thanks to these moves, Houston heads into the All-Star break with games on Monday night in Philadelphia and Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.

Justin Holiday has agreed to a buyout arrangement with the Houston Rockets and plans to sign with the Dallas Mavericks when he clears waivers, sources told ESPN.

— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) February 13, 2023