Depending on what the Rockets choose to do with the contracts of Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, and Fred VanVleet (all have some level of contractual uncertainty in 2025), Houston could reportedly have up to $69 million in space beneath the NBA’s salary cap during the 2025 offseason.

Ideally, general manager Rafael Stone won’t need it. The hope is that in 2024-25, the young and improving Rockets will further build on a strong 41-41 showing in 2023-24 — in which Houston’s 19-win improvement was the biggest annual jump of any NBA team.

And if the Rockets do continue their growth, Stone could look to retain and extend all three of Sengun, Green, and VanVleet, which would take away most — if not all — of that potential cap space.

But if things go wrong in 2024-25, Stone and the Rockets do have the ability to pivot to a different plan. So, should Houston need to do that, who are the best options potentially on the 2025 free agency market? Per HoopsHype and Spotrac, here are some of the standout names:

• Brandon Ingram, 26-year-old forward, New Orleans Pelicans

• LeBron James, 39-year-old forward, Los Angeles Lakers (player option)

• Jamal Murray, 27-year-old guard, Denver Nuggets

• Julius Randle, 29-year-old forward, New York Knicks (player option)

• Rudy Gobert, 32-year-old center, Minnesota Timberwolves (player option)

• Kyrie Irving, 32-year-old guard, Dallas Mavericks (player option)

• Jimmy Butler, 34-year-old forward, Miami Heat (player option)

• James Harden, 35-year-old guard, Los Angeles Clippers (player option)

• Myles Turner, 28-year-old center, Indiana Pacers

• Aaron Gordon, 28-year-old forward, Denver Nuggets (player option)

• Jonathan Kuminga, 21-year-old forward, Golden State Warriors (restricted, matching rights)

• D’Angelo Russell, 28-year-old guard, Los Angeles Lakers

• Alex Caruso, 30-year-old guard, Oklahoma City Thunder

• Naz Reid, 25-year-old forward/center, Minnesota Timberwolves (player option)

• Brook Lopez, 36-year-old center, Milwaukee Bucks

• Josh Giddey, 21-year-old guard, Chicago Bulls (restricted, matching rights)

• Malcolm Brogdon, 31-year-old guard, Portland Trail Blazers

• Khris Middleton, 33-year-old forward, Milwaukee Bucks (player option)

It’s worth noting, of course, that cap space doesn’t have to be used on a signing in free agency. It could also be used to help facilitate a trade. But should the Rockets go the free agency route — as they did in July 2023, when they used significant financial flexibility to sign the likes of VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jeff Green, and Jock Landale — this is an early look at some of the plausible options.

More: The Athletic: Rockets are NBA’s most compelling franchise for 2025 offseason

This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: 2025 NBA free agents to consider, if Rockets open cap space