With Houston’s payroll on the rise thanks to new contracts for Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green, retaining reserve guard Aaron Holiday (team option at $4.9 million) could make financial sense.
The so-called “stay ready” crew for the Houston Rockets — either at the end of the rotation for head coach Ime Udoka or out of it altogether — could look very different in the 2025-26 season.
Jae’Sean Tate and Jeff Green are free agents this offseason, and Jock Landale’s 2025-26 salary is non-guaranteed. All made $7.5 million or more last season, and Houston might not be able to afford rostering numerous end-of-bench players on salaries of that size. Consider that both Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green will be entering the first year of lucrative contract extensions, with each getting a significant raise relative to last season.
That could make it all the more important to retain bench options at budget-friendly salaries. Enter veteran guard Aaron Holiday, who has a relatively inexpensive $4.9-million team option for 2025-26.
At 28 years old, there’s no reason to think Holiday’s skills are eroding — and he’s provided clear value to head coach Ime Udoka over two seasons with the Rockets.
In 14.7 minutes per game during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons (140 games), Holiday has averaged 6.1 points while connecting on 3-pointers at an elite 39.2% clip. Combine that with his advantages as a quick, hard-nosed perimeter defender, and he’s clearly earned the trust of Udoka and the Rockets.
“He’s always ready when he’s called upon and gives us a spark on both ends,” Udoka said of Holiday. “Not just the shooting, his physicality and aggressiveness on defense helps, as well.”
Even with Holiday’s strengths, the Rockets likely have the backup point guard role (behind incumbent starter Fred VanVleet) earmarked for Reed Sheppard in 2025-26. Entering his second season, Sheppard’s development will be a priority.
But as the Rockets have learned in Udoka’s first two seasons, there is significant value in having reliable options near the end of the bench. Injuries and slumps will happen. The higher salaries of Sengun and Green could make it tougher to have end-of-bench options as established as the last two years, but the affordable team-option figure for Holiday would seem to make it very likely that he returns in that capacity.
Holiday played 62 games for the 2024-25 Rockets, who finished at 52-30 and with the second-best record in the Western Conference (No. 4 in the NBA).