Apr 2, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Jock Landale (2) dunks the ball during the fourth quarter against the Utah Jazz at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Houston Rockets and Jock Landale Plan To Extend Contract Decision

Originally posted on Houston Rockets on SI
By Lachard Binkley | Last updated Jun 29, 2025 3:00 PM ET

The Houston Rockets have been one of the busiest teams this offseason. They have not only extended the contract of their head coach, Ime Udoka. They have signed Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams to new agreements that will keep them in Houston for the next couple of seasons.

That was just the tip of the offseason iceberg as the Rockets completed the biggest move of any team so far this offseason when they traded for future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant. The move signified that the Rockets were going all in on winning a championship sooner rather than later.

The Durant trade, however, won't be the last move for the Rockets as they continue to look for ways to improve the overall team. The Rockets had another possible roster move decision to make on Sunday with Jock Landale's contract set to become guaranteed on June 29. Landale and the Rockets have decided to move that decision to July 7, according to The Athletic's Fred Katz.

The Rockets and Jock Landale have agreed to push back Landale’s guarantee date to July 7, a league source tells The Athletic. Landale’s original guarantee date was previously supposed to be today.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) June 29, 2025

Landale came to the Rockets in 2023 after an impressive playoff run with the Phoenix Suns, where, at times, he outplayed starting center DeAndre Ayton in the Suns' second-round loss to the Denver Nuggets. Landale signed a four-year deal worth $ 32 million with only the first season guaranteed.

In Landale's first season, he was the primary backup to Alperen Sengun but struggled during the first part of the season, as he was dealing with an injury for the first few months. In the last part of the season, however, Landale played well. Notably, even after the Rockets traded for Adams, they retained Landale as a third center for the 2024-25 season.

As Adams continued to get healthier every week, Landale's minutes continued to drop throughout last season. Now that Adams has signed a new contract that will keep him in Houston for three more seasons, reports state the Rockets may be looking to move on from Landale.

To help make that decision, Landale and the Rockets agreed to extend the deadline for Landale's guaranteed contract. The Rockets could package Landale with another player to bring in help for their rotation or decline his current deal, which would make him a free agent. If they trade Landale or release him, it will help free up more money for the Rockets to have their full NT-MLE for the upcoming free agency period.

This article first appeared on Houston Rockets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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