The Rockets are currently positioned to have major salary cap room in the 2023 offseason, so it’s unclear if they plan to offer third-year point guard Kevin Porter Jr. a contract extension this offseason.
While the 21-year-old is eligible to receive a new deal, Houston may opt (for cap purposes) to wait on any offer until he becomes a restricted free agent after the 2022-23 season. By doing that, he would be on the books at a lower cap figure, and because Porter would be restricted, the Rockets could match any outside offer and still retain him. Nonetheless, that strategy carries its own risk — in that if Porter has a dynamic season, the price to keep him long-term could be higher than it is now.
