The Houston Rockets have one of the leaner salary structures and cleaner books in the league. The Rockets have benefited immensely from giving value deals to veterans like Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet while having the rest of their key players on rookie contracts. Things can obviously change once the extensions to Jalen Green and VanVleet kick in, but the Rockets don't have anything to worry about right now.
Not every team, however, is as lucky. A lot of teams in the NBA are hamstrung by bad contracts on their books, limiting their financial flexibility. Two of those teams were the Toronto Raptors and the New Orleans Pelicans, who employed the same former Rockets veteran last season: Kelly Olynyk.
Kelly Olynyk Robbed 2 Teams Blind This Season
After being acquired by the Raptors in the 2024 trade deadline, Olynyk received a head-scratching two-year, $26.25 million contract extension. Perhaps Toronto was too excited to have Canadian talent in the house, overpaying for an aging big man way past his prime.
It didn't take long for the Raptors front office to regret this decision. Olynyk, who somehow made $12.8 million in the 2024-25 season, was traded to the Pelicans mid-season in a deal that sent Brandon Ingram to Toronto.
The 34-year-old then went on to start 20 games for the tanking Pelicans, averaging 10.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on 25.4 minutes per game. Unfortunately for New Orleans, things aren't looking up as they owe Olynyk, who underwent foot surgery in the offseason, $13.4 million next season.
Even in the best of times, Olynyk was a limited player. He is very talented offensively, but his physical and athletic shortcomings made him a poor defensive player. A center who can't protect the rim or guard his position is very difficult to trust on good teams, which forced Olynyk into a reserve role throughout his career. Age-related decline has only exacerbated his deficiencies, making him one of the more overpaid role players in the league.
When it's all said and done, for Olynyk, his Rockets tenure will be remembered as his most effective stint in the NBA. That magical run in the second half of the 2020-21 season was the best Olynyk has ever looked as a pro and will stay on Rockets fans' minds for a long time.