To absolutely no surprise, the Rockets are picking up the final-year option on the contract of versatile forward Jae’Sean Tate, as first reported by veteran beat writer Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
The 2022-23 season is the final year of the initial NBA contract that Tate signed with the Rockets in 2020 as an international free agent, so it’s at an extremely inexpensive rate of approximately $1.8 million. That salary is an absolute bargain for Tate’s production, so it was a no-brainer for Houston general manager Rafael Stone to stay the course.
The Rockets are eligible to discuss a contract extension with Tate this offseason, but it remains to be seen how aggressively they will bid, since they are currently positioned to have significant salary cap space in the 2023 offseason. They could wait until 2023 to decide on his next contract, since he’s currently slotted to have a very low cap hold, and Tate will be a restricted free agent with Bird rights — giving the Rockets every avenue to retain him, should they desire to do so.
Tate, who made the All-Rookie First Team in 2020-21, has averaged 11.6 points (50.1% FG, 31.0% on 3-pointers), 5.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 27.7 minutes per game over two seasons in Houston. The 26-year-old is also one of the most valuable defensive players on the Rockets and a respected team leader, even at this very early stage of his NBA career.
