Houston Rockets: How much money Johnson and Wright could lose

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 15: Joe Johnson
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 15: Joe Johnson /
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The Houston Rockets almost have all of the I’s dotted and the T’s crossed in regard to inking to familiar veterans to bolster the depth of this roster.  But since Joe Johnson and Brandan Wright’s contracts were bought out from their former teams, how much money do they stand to lose?  Let’s take a further depth into this.

Houston Rockets fans — I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about the signing of two long-time professional players that are currently basking in the twilight of their careers.  But it’s happening and I think that Joe Johnson and Brandan Wright will be valuable pieces as this team marches not-so-smooth territory for an NBA championship.

You have to give Daryl Morey a ton of credit for trying everything he can to ensure that we have what we need to beat the Golden State Warriors.  I have no doubt this notion is something that keeps him up nights.  I honestly think that he won’t rest until he is able steal the crown away from the NBA’s darlings of the moment to demonstrate that the Houston Rockets have done here is nothing short of special.

Wright was signed to the roster earlier today and Johnson’s ink will start drying more than likely by sometime Tuesday.  Of course, these guys are taking less money to position themselves with a contender but just how much do they stand to lose?

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski had the numbers from earlier today:

This means that the Kings have agreed to pay Johnson $3.7 million while the Jazz are responsible

More from House of Houston

for the remaining $6.8 million ($10.5M salary in 2017-18).  However, as a result of the buyout, $1 million of all of that money exchanged between teams could be lost.  On the other hand, Wright will at least take home at least $5.22 million ($6M salary in 2017-18) but may be able to earn it all back through the season as well as through the playoffs.  I see these guys making valuable contributions to this team in a small, yet impactful way so it’s more than likely.

David Weiner of Clutchfans.net provided an interesting spin on this news as well:

All in all, I don’t think it matters to these guys are they’re now in a excellent situation versus the one that they came from.  At this point in their careers, the money doesn’t matter as Johnson has netted $214 million over his 17-year player career while Wright has raked in $38.9 million in his 11 seasons.

Next: Why the Rockets wanted -- and now have -- Brendan Wright

I’d expect them to be suiting up for the next home game scheduled for Wednesday against the Kings.  Tip-off is at 7 p.m. so stay tuned!

Go Rockets.