Nic Batum’s Albatross Contract
Perhaps an equally large barrier to Houston trading for Nicolas Batum is his contract. With three years and $76.7 million left on the deal, it’s one of the worst contracts in the NBA. Charlotte re-signed him to a near max contract in the summer of 2016 when the league saw a cap spike that led to a number of bad contracts.
Although Houston is reportedly willing to take on long-term salary for Ryan Anderson, the benefit of replacing Anderson could be negated by hefty luxury tax bills and less cap flexibility. If this trade happened, Houston would owe $130 million to just five guaranteed contracts for the 2020-21 season. The luxury tax line for that season is projected to be $141 million.
Are the Rockets willing to take on such a massive contract in order to help put themselves in a better position to compete right now?
That reality alone is probably enough for Houston to not pull the trigger, especially when there are cheaper options. The aforementioned Kent Bazemore’s contract, for example, is just two years and 37.3 million. That’s nearly $40 million cheaper than Batum’s, and for a player that would likely provide a better fit as well.