The Houston Rockets have reached a new agreement with veteran guard Aaron Holiday, as reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic. Holiday will sign a two-year, $10 million contract to remain with the team, with the second year being a team option, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.
Aaron Holiday, the younger brother of NBA players Jrue Holiday and Justin Holiday, played a significant role off the bench for Houston last season. He appeared in 78 games, averaging 6.6 points, 1.8 assists, and 1.6 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game, shooting efficiently with a .446/.387/.921 shooting line.
Having spent his first three NBA seasons with the Indiana Pacers, Holiday has since moved between several teams including Washington, Phoenix, Atlanta, and now Houston. This marks his return to a team for a second season since his time with the Pacers.
Due to signing as a free agent with the Rockets last season, Holiday has Non-Bird rights this summer. This limits Houston’s ability to offer him a contract exceeding 20% above the veteran’s minimum without using a different exception. As a result, the Rockets will utilize either their mid-level exception (MLE) or bi-annual exception (BAE) to finalize the signing.
Opting to use the bi-annual exception allows Houston to offer Holiday a maximum two-year deal worth approximately $9.57 million, while keeping their MLE available. This strategy, reported by Kelly Iko of The Athletic, confirms the team’s intention to bring back the reserve guard using this method.
