Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
2025 Free Agents - Jock Landale
Landale played in Australia and Europe from 2019-2021, earning NBL Finals MVP for Melbourne in 2021. He was signed by the Spurs in 2021 on a two-year minimum contract. Landale showed good production, particularly in the 2021 season in Australia, where he averaged over 16 points per game and just under 8 rebounds per game. He is a solid post player but can provide spacing as a pick-and-pop big as well. Landale didn't take a ton of outside shots in the NBL, but he was a decent threat from outside, hitting 37% from three on low volume. As a rookie in '21-'22, Landale interestingly had a solid offensive rebounding rate, but was near the bottom of the league in defensive rebounding rate, according to Cleaning the Glass, and those numbers were similar in '22-'23. He provided some stretch value, as over 40% of his field goal attempts came from three, but he only hit them at a 31% clip. He took fewer threes with the Suns, but only hitting them at a 27% clip. Landale at times surpassed Bismack Biyombo as the primary option at backup center for the Suns in '22-'23, and even played a little bit of power forward next to Deandre Ayton in two-big lineups. He had some really nice performances early in the '22-'23 season, and while he cooled off a bit as the season progressed, he did have a strong enough finish, even closing one playoff game over Ayton, and earned himself a nice contract in 2023. Unfortunately for Landale, he fell out of the regular rotation in Houston, which makes it more likely he becomes a free agent in 2024, unless the Rockets simply keep him around to use as balancing salary in a potential trade.
Summary
Landale's $8 million salary for 2025-2026 is non-guaranteed, and if he is waived he will become an unrestricted free agent and the Rockets will have no form of Bird rights on him. If Landale becomes a free agent, other teams will have multiple ways to sign him as even teams without cap space could use any of the Non-Taxpayer MLE, Room MLE, or possibly even the Taxpayer MLE or Bi-Annual Exception to sign him. It's also possible that Landale only gets minimum offers.
Cap Considerations
Daniel Theis (1 year minimum, 2024) Drew Eubanks (2-1 years, $10 million, 2024) Nick Richards (3-1 years, $15 million, 2023)