What Is Jae’Sean Tate’s Future With The Houston Rockets?

At 28 years old, Jae’Sean Tate is something of an elder statesman on a rebuilding Houston Rockets team laden with recent former first round picks. Back on July 6, 2022, Tate signed a three-year, $22.1 million contract which pays him $6.5 million this season. Given that the Rockets possess a team option next year on Tate’s 2024-2025 $7.065 million salary, which they have until June 29, 2024 to exercise, Tate is essentially an expiring contract this year, for all intents and purposes.

The expectation has been that Rockets general manager Rafael Stone would go shopping at the trade deadline, armed with the expiring salaries of Tate, Victor Oladipo, Jeff Green, and Jock Landale. The Rockets roster is in need of scoring punch off the bench and rim protection and those holes have been more evident than ever through Houston’s first four games of the season.