Houston Rockets Cap Sheet 2026-27

The Houston Rockets have $200,413,923 in displayed 2026-27 team salary, which is $35,452,923 over the salary cap, with 16 standard contracts and 3 two-way contracts on the books. The Rockets are $14,077 under the luxury tax level, $8,601,077 under the first apron and $21,272,077 under the second apron. Capsheets.com lists the Rockets as hard-capped at the second apron for 2026-27.

Snapshot as of . Page data last updated . Distances to the tax and aprons compare displayed contracts with the league levels and are approximations; see the questions below.

Sources: contracts from a Spotrac-derived workbook (Spotrac multi-year cap table, retrieved ) with this site’s audited corrections; dead money from Spotrac (); exception balances (), hard-cap labels () and draft picks () from Capsheets.com; 2026-27 cap, tax and apron levels from the official NBA release. Later seasons are projections.

Cap, tax and apron position

Houston Rockets cap position, 2026-27
LineAmountDisplayed salary against it
Displayed team salary$200,413,923Signed contracts, options and dead money; free-agent cap holds excluded
Salary cap$164,961,000$35,452,923 over the salary cap
Luxury tax level$200,428,000$14,077 under the luxury tax level
First apron$209,015,000$8,601,077 under the first apron
Second apron$221,686,000$21,272,077 under the second apron
Dead money included$0Part of displayed team salary
Contracts16 standard3 two-way; 5 free-agent cap holds not counted above

Player contracts

Houston Rockets player contracts, 2026-27 through 2031-32
PlayerPos.Age2026-27 cap hit% of capOptionGuarantee noteExtension-eligible2027-282028-292029-302030-312031-32
Kevin DurantSF38.3$43,902,43926.6%No option——$46,097,561Player option————
Alperen SengunC24.5$35,642,20221.6%No option——$37,339,450$39,036,697$39,036,697Player option——
Fred VanVleetPG32$25,000,00015.2%No option———————
Jabari Smith Jr.PF23.7$23,643,41114.3%No option——$21,751,940$23,643,411$25,534,883$27,426,355—
Tari EasonPF25.7$14,053,3568.5%No option——$15,177,624$16,301,892$17,426,160$18,550,428Player option—
Steven AdamsC33.5$13,000,0007.9%No option——$11,869,565————
Amen ThompsonPG24.0$12,258,6097.4%No option——$35,862,069$38,731,034$41,600,000$44,468,966$47,337,931
Reed SheppardSG22.6$11,108,8806.7%No option——$14,041,625Team option; $0 guaranteed————
Clint CapelaC32.7$7,035,0004.3%No option——$7,370,000————
Marcus SmartPG32.9$6,064,0003.7%No option——$6,367,200Player option————
Bogdan BogdanovicSG34.5$2,449,4211.5%No option———————
Isaiah CrawfordG25$2,449,4211.5%No optionNon-guaranteed; $0 guaranteed—$2,664,401Non-guaranteed; $0 guaranteed$2,888,193Non-guaranteed; $0 guaranteed$3,272,766Team option; $0 guaranteed——
Jae’Sean TateSF31$2,449,4211.5%No optionNon-guaranteed; $1,039,669 guaranteed——————
Bruce ThorntonPG23$1,357,7630.8%No option——$2,294,370$0 guaranteed$2,694,363$0 guaranteed$2,918,152Team option; $0 guaranteed——
Julian PhillipsSF23$00.0%No optionNon-guaranteed; $0 guaranteed——————
Oscar TshiebwePF27$00.0%No optionNon-guaranteed; $0 guaranteed——————
Quadir CopelandF23$00.0%Two-way———————
Rafael CastroC23$00.0%Two-way$91,000 guaranteed—$0Two-way————
Sean PedullaG24$00.0%Two-way———————
Player contracts total$200,413,923121.5%$200,835,805$123,295,590$129,788,658$90,445,749$47,337,931

Source: Spotrac-derived workbook, retrieved . Ages are as of February 1 of the season. “Guarantee note” repeats the source’s wording and is blank where the source gives none. Two-way contracts are listed without a cap hit.

Dead money

The snapshot shows no dead-money charges for the Rockets in 2026-27 or any later displayed season.

Source: Spotrac team cap tables, retrieved .

Exceptions: balances and expiry

Houston Rockets exception inventory, 2026-27
ExceptionTypeRemaining balanceExpires
Non-taxpayer Mid-LevelSigning exception$8,980,000
Bi-AnnualSigning exception$5,477,000
TPE (Dorian Finney-Smith)Trade exception$13,335,000

Source: Capsheets.com, retrieved . Source-listed exception balances and expiration dates; website payrolls remain unchanged. Availability is subject to apron and transaction restrictions.

Hard-cap status

Capsheets.com lists the Rockets as hard-capped at the second apron for 2026-27. The source page labels its apron rows “First Apron”, “Second Apron (Hard Capped)”.

Source: Capsheets.com, checked . Only the restriction label is taken from that page; the salary and apron figures on this page are this site’s snapshot.

Future draft picks

First round

Second round

Source: CapSheets.com, retrieved ; displayed first- and second-round pick inventories for the next seven drafts. Pick descriptions and tradability are shown as that source words them.

Are the Houston Rockets hard-capped in 2026-27?

Yes, according to Capsheets.com: it lists the Houston Rockets as hard-capped at the second apron for 2026-27 (checked ).

Calculation from this page’s snapshot

The second apron is $221,686,000 and displayed 2026-27 team salary is $200,413,923, so displayed salary is $21,272,077 under the second apron.

This is an approximation. The agreement tests the aprons against “Apron Team Salary”, which is Team Salary after a list of adjustments (Article VII, Section 2(e)(1), p. 186); this page compares the displayed contract total instead.

CBA rule text · the restriction commonly called a hard cap
A Team that engages in a transaction set forth in the Transaction Restrictions Table may not, for the remainder of such Salary Cap Year, have an Apron Team Salary that exceeds the Applicable Apron Level that corresponds with such transaction in the table.

Article VII, Section 2(e)(2)(i)(B), p. 187. Paraphrase (not CBA text): Once a team makes a listed transaction, it cannot exceed that apron for the rest of that cap year. This is what is commonly called being hard-capped.

“Hard cap” is the common name for this restriction; the phrase does not appear in the agreement.

What would change this answer

Under the rule quoted above the restriction lasts for the remainder of the Salary Cap Year, so a trade, waiver or signing changes how much salary sits beneath the second apron, not the restriction itself. The source does not say which transaction triggered the label, and a later transaction listed in the Transaction Restrictions Table (Article VII, Section 2(e)(2)(i)(A), p. 187) could add a restriction that is not shown here.

Flag · source limitation or conflict

Hard-cap label source limitation (checked ): Requested Spotrac source returned an empty HTTP 202 response in direct retrieval and Chromium. Current 2026-27 Capsheets.com team pages explicitly identify hard-capped apron rows; plain apron rows mean no hard cap reported by that source. Only restriction labels were imported; all displayed salary amounts and apron thresholds remain the website snapshot. Restriction triggers are not supplied by these team pages. No prior-season hard caps carry forward.

How far are the Houston Rockets from the first and second apron?

On displayed contracts, the Houston Rockets are $8,601,077 under the first apron and $21,272,077 under the second apron for 2026-27.

Calculation from this page’s snapshot

First apron $209,015,000 against displayed team salary $200,413,923: $8,601,077 under the first apron. Second apron $221,686,000: $21,272,077 under the second apron. Luxury tax level $200,428,000: $14,077 under the luxury tax level.

This is an approximation. The agreement tests the aprons against “Apron Team Salary”, which is Team Salary after a list of adjustments (Article VII, Section 2(e)(1), p. 186); this page compares the displayed contract total instead.

The tax is likewise assessed on “Tax Team Salary”, measured at the start of the team’s last regular season game (Article VII, Section 2(d)(1)(i), pp. 179–180), not on a preseason total.

Season amounts: the 2026-27 salary cap, tax level and apron levels shown here are those in the NBA.com release; the agreement itself fixes only the formulas.

CBA rule text · how the first apron is set
For each subsequent Salary Cap Year, the First Apron Level shall equal the First Apron Level for the 2023-24 Salary Cap Year multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the Salary Cap for the applicable Salary Cap Year and the denominator of which is the Salary Cap for the 2023-24 Salary Cap Year.

Article VII, Section 2(a)(4)(iii)(A), p. 171. Paraphrase (not CBA text): After 2023-24 the first apron moves in proportion to the salary cap: the 2023-24 first apron times (this season's cap ÷ the 2023-24 cap).

CBA rule text · how the second apron is set
For each subsequent Salary Cap Year, the Second Apron Level shall equal the Second Apron Level for the 2023-24 Salary Cap Year multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the Salary Cap for the applicable Salary Cap Year and the denominator of which is the Salary Cap for the 2023-24 Salary Cap Year.

Article VII, Section 2(a)(4)(iii)(B), p. 171. Paraphrase (not CBA text): After 2023-24 the second apron moves in proportion to the salary cap: the 2023-24 second apron times (this season's cap ÷ the 2023-24 cap).

What would change this answer

Any trade, waiver claim, signing, exercised or declined option, or buyout after the snapshot date moves the Rockets’ displayed salary and therefore both distances. Free-agent cap holds are not part of the displayed total.

Which exceptions can the Houston Rockets still use?

Capsheets.com lists 3 exceptions with a remaining balance for the Houston Rockets: Non-taxpayer Mid-Level ($8,980,000, expiring ), Bi-Annual ($5,477,000, expiring ) and TPE (Dorian Finney-Smith) ($13,335,000, expiring ). Balances were retrieved .

Reading the list · interpretation

Source note: Source-listed exception balances and expiration dates; website payrolls remain unchanged. Availability is subject to apron and transaction restrictions.

Using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception is a first-apron transaction (Article VII, Section 2(e)(4), row B, p. 190). Using the bi-annual exception is a first-apron transaction (Article VII, Section 2(e)(4), row A, p. 190); its expiry is set by Article VII, Section 6(d)(5), p. 236. “TPE” rows are traded player exceptions; this page reads each expiry date as the one-year window for a non-simultaneous trade (Article VII, Section 6(j)(1)(i), p. 240).

Against the displayed total, the Rockets are $8,601,077 under the first apron and $21,272,077 under the second apron; whether a given signing or trade fits is not decided on this page.

CBA rule text · why exceptions matter
A Team’s Team Salary may not exceed the Salary Cap at any time unless the Team is using one of the Exceptions set forth in Section 6 below.

Article VII, Section 2(b)(1), p. 176. Paraphrase (not CBA text): A team may not be over the cap unless it is using one of the Section 6 exceptions.

CBA rule text · when the non-taxpayer mid-level expires
The Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Salary Exception for a Team shall arise on the first day of each Salary Cap Year and shall expire at the start of the Team’s last game of the Regular Season during that Salary Cap Year.

Article VII, Section 6(e)(6), p. 237. Paraphrase (not CBA text): The non-taxpayer mid-level starts on the first day of the cap year and expires at the start of the team's last regular season game.

What would change this answer

Using an exception, a trade that uses or creates a traded player exception, an expiry date passing, or renouncing an exception (Article VII, Section 6(n)(2), p. 248) changes this list. Unused mid-level and bi-annual amounts also shrink daily from January 10 (Article VII, Section 6(n)(4), p. 249).

Flag · source limitation or conflict

Different retrieval dates: the salary table is the snapshot, while exception balances were retrieved and hard-cap labels were checked . A transaction between those dates can appear in one and not the other.

How much cap space do the Houston Rockets have?

None on the displayed snapshot: the Houston Rockets are $35,452,923 over the salary cap of $164,961,000 for 2026-27.

Calculation from this page’s snapshot

Salary cap $164,961,000 against displayed team salary $200,413,923: $35,452,923 over the salary cap. The displayed total counts signed contracts, options and dead money. It leaves out the 5 free-agent cap holds in this snapshot and any exception amounts the league counts in Team Salary, so it is not a statement of usable cap room.

CBA rule text · what “Room” means
“Room” means the extent to which: (i) a Team’s then-current Team Salary is less than the Salary Cap; or (ii) a Team is entitled to use one of the Salary Cap Exceptions set forth in Article VII, Sections 6(c), (d), (e), (f), (g), and (j) (Disabled Player Exception, Bi-annual Exception, Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Salary Exception, Taxpayer Mid-Level Salary Exception, Mid-Level Salary Exception for Room Teams, and Traded Player Exception).

Article I, Section 1(kkk), p. 9. Paraphrase (not CBA text): “Room” means either how far Team Salary is under the cap, or the right to use one of the listed exceptions.

CBA rule text · free agents who still count (cap holds)
until a Team’s Veteran Free Agent re-signs with his Team, signs with another NBA Team, or is renounced, he will be included in his Prior Team’s Team Salary at one of the following amounts (“Free Agent Amounts”):

Article VII, Section 4(d), p. 217. Paraphrase (not CBA text): A team's own free agent keeps counting against its Team Salary (the “Free Agent Amount”, commonly called a cap hold) until he re-signs, signs elsewhere or is renounced.

Exceptions can also count: Article VII, Section 6(n)(2), p. 248.

What would change this answer

Renouncing a free agent removes his Free Agent Amount (Article VII, Section 4(g)(1), p. 221), and renouncing an exception removes it from Team Salary (Article VII, Section 6(n)(2), p. 248). A trade, waiver, buyout, signing or option decision changes the displayed salary itself.

Which Houston Rockets players have options or become extension-eligible?

The snapshot shows 3 team options and 4 player options on the Houston Rockets’ books through 2031-32, and no player marked extension-eligible for 2026-27.

Option years in the snapshot

  • Kevin Durant: 2027-28 player option, $46,097,561
  • Reed Sheppard: 2027-28 team option, $14,041,625
  • Marcus Smart: 2027-28 player option, $6,367,200
  • Alperen Sengun: 2029-30 player option, $39,036,697
  • Isaiah Crawford: 2029-30 team option, $3,272,766
  • Bruce Thornton: 2029-30 team option, $2,918,152
  • Tari Eason: 2030-31 player option, $18,550,428
Read from this page’s snapshot

These lists are read directly from the contract rows above. Option types and extension markers are the Spotrac-derived workbook’s labels; this page does not test any player against the agreement’s eligibility rules, and a “team option” on a first-round pick’s rookie contract is the rookie scale option (Article VIII, Section 1(a), p. 290).

CBA rule text · what an option is
“Option” means an option in a Player Contract in favor of a Team or player to extend such Contract beyond its stated term.

Article I, Section 1(ss), p. 6. Paraphrase (not CBA text): An option lets a team or a player extend the contract beyond its stated term.

CBA rule text · the outside deadline to exercise
Any ETO must be exercised by 5:00 p.m. eastern time on the June 29 immediately prior to the Effective Season of such ETO. Any Option must be exercised by 5:00 p.m. eastern time on the June 29 immediately prior to the Season covered by the Option, except that an Option in favor of a player who would become a Restricted Free Agent if the Option were not exercised must be exercised prior to the June 25 immediately prior to the Season covered by such Option.

Article XII, Section 4, p. 338. Paraphrase (not CBA text): Options and early termination options must be exercised by 5:00 p.m. ET on June 29 before the season they cover; a player option that would otherwise leave the player a restricted free agent must be exercised before June 25.

What would change this answer

An option that is exercised or declined, an extension that is signed, a trade that moves the contract, or a waiver removes a row from these lists. Veteran extensions depend on how long ago the contract was signed (Article VII, Section 7(a)(1), pp. 249–250) and rookie scale extensions have their own window (Article VII, Section 7(b)(1), p. 254); individual contracts can set earlier option dates than the agreement’s outside deadline.

Rule citations are to the 2023 NBA-NBPA Collective Bargaining Agreement (PDF dated 6-28-23) by article, section and printed page, read . Amber boxes quote the agreement; teal boxes are this site’s calculations or readings; text marked “Paraphrase (not CBA text)” is a plain-English summary. This table reflects the agreement as published in the June 28, 2023 PDF. Later amendments, side letters or league memoranda are not in that PDF and are not reflected here.

Snapshot notes and conflicts

This page does not correct one source with another. Where the displayed snapshot is limited, or disagrees with a rule, a league level or a companion source, the disagreement is listed here.

Flag · source limitation or conflict

Hard-cap label source limitation (checked ): Requested Spotrac source returned an empty HTTP 202 response in direct retrieval and Chromium. Current 2026-27 Capsheets.com team pages explicitly identify hard-capped apron rows; plain apron rows mean no hard cap reported by that source. Only restriction labels were imported; all displayed salary amounts and apron thresholds remain the website snapshot. Restriction triggers are not supplied by these team pages. No prior-season hard caps carry forward.

Flag · source limitation or conflict

Different retrieval dates: the salary table is the snapshot, while exception balances were retrieved and hard-cap labels were checked . A transaction between those dates can appear in one and not the other.

Flag · source limitation or conflict

The snapshot, dated , shows 16 standard contracts for 2026-27. The agreement's 14-or-15 player requirement applies during the regular season (Article XXIX, Section 2(a), p. 429) and its 21-player limit at other times (Article XXIX, Section 2(d), p. 430). The count is reported as displayed.

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