Did Rockets Overpay for Suns' Jock Landale?

The Houston Rockets signed Jock Landale to a four-year, $32 million deal in free agency.

Jeremy Brener | Jul 28, 2023

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Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets surprised many in free agency when they signed Phoenix Suns center Jock Landale to a four-year, $32 million deal.

Only the first season on Landale's contract is guaranteed, so the deal looks like more than what it actually is. However, $8 million as an average annual salary is far more than what Landale has made in his career up until this point, which makes some question if the Rockets overpaid for their backup center.

"From what I’ve heard, Landale, this upcoming season, is going to make double more than what Phoenix was looking at offering at that point," HoopsHype said. "It was a no-brainer for him to go to Houston, which benefited him financially, even though, looking ahead, that contract is structured with some non-guarantees, so it can be traded.

The 27-year-old spent just one season (69 games) in Phoenix, averaging 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and one assist in 14.2 minutes per game. Landale's first season in the NBA was the year before with the San Antonio Spurs.

Landale, who's from Melbourne, Australia, had a late arrival to the association because he played for his home country and Europe from 2018-2021. He's racked up a few accolades during his time across the sea, earning the bronze medal for Australia at the 2020 Olympics and winning the 2021 NBL Championship.

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Published Jul 28, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.