Free agent Aaron Holiday reportedly expected to move…

Free agent Aaron Holiday reportedly expected to move on from Rockets

In a recent live broadcast on X, The Athletic’s Kelly Iko said he doesn’t expect veteran guard Aaron Holiday to return to the Houston Rockets for the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season.

After signing with the Rockets for the league’s minimum salary in the 2023 offseason, Holiday had a solid year in Houston, averaging 6.6 points (44.6% FG, 38.7% on 3-pointers) and 1.8 assists in 16.3 minutes. The 27-year-old was also one of Houston’s top perimeter defenders.

But because Holiday was signed to a one-year contract, the Rockets do not have Bird rights to help retain him, and that’s where it gets complicated. The Rockets do have their non-taxpayer mid-level exception (NT-MLE) available to use, and that brings an annual starting salary of approximately $13 million. However, the players Houston could get for that money (Milwaukee’s Malik Beasley is a rumored target) are generally of a higher tier than Holiday.

Houston could offer a smaller amount for Holiday, such as another minimum deal or its bi-annual exception (BAE) of around $4.7 million. But, in the aftermath of a solid year as a rotation player, would Holiday be willing to accept an inexpensive deal without any promises of playing time? It would seem to be asking a lot.

.@KellyIko: "I think Aaron Holliday will leave the #Rockets this summer."

— Chris A. White 🐻 (@fyrebear) June 5, 2024

With Tari Eason and Steven Adams returning from injuries, Houston already has a nine-man rotation entering the 2024-25 season. And if the Rockets were to sign someone such as Beasley, that would make them 10 deep — and thus quite challenging for Holiday to earn minutes. And that’s before factoring in a rookie potentially drafted at No. 3 overall, which is where Houston is currently slotted to pick.

In terms of salary and playing time, it seems likely that Holiday could improve at least one of those crucial variables by leaving the Rockets. Thus, that appears to be the likely outcome heading into the NBA’s 2024 free agency window, which opens on June 30.

Even so, expect the Rockets to maintain dialogue with Holiday, just in case that outside interest doesn’t materialize.