Jae’Sean Tate has had a rough time with the Houston Rockets lately.
After being one of the few bright spots in a rather disappointing 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaign for the franchise, Tate missed significant time due to injury in his third season — 51 games to be exact.
Last season, Tate struggled to get playing time due to a crowded wing room that included newly drafted Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, not to mention Dillon Brooks, one of the Rockets’ most prized offseason acquisitions in 2023.
Tate played just 15.9 minutes in 2023-24, which was by far the lowest mark of his career.
His outside shooting, or lack thereof, has consistently made him a space killer (29.9 percent from three-point range last season) and his already poor free-throw efficiency hit a career-low in 2023-24 (66.7 percent).
There have been recurring rumors that Tate was available via trade, but nothing has come to fruition. This offseason, the Rockets exercised Tate’s team option for the final year of his contract, which only added to the rumors that Tate could be on the move.
According to Josh Cornellisen of Raptors Rapture, Tate could be a trade target for the Toronto RaptorsCornellisen described Tate as “a proven defensive weapon and a proven player on moribund Rockets teams,” adding that he has no place in the Rockets’ current rotation.
The Raptors expert writer continued.
“He’s a player that a lot of teams are calling for, and the Raptors should be one of them.
Tate, who stands 6-foot-4, is incredibly strong and has played power forward since he entered the NBA as an undrafted player. He’s not a high-level scorer; in fact, he’s shot just 30.6 percent from three-point range in his career and last year averaged just 9.3 points per 36 minutes. Yet he also attacks the basket as a smaller player, is all over the place on defense, and the Rockets were significantly better on defense when he played than when he didn’t.
The 6-foot-4 Tate is incredibly strong and has played as a forward since he entered the NBA as an undrafted player. He’s not a high-level scorer; in fact, he’s only shot 30.6 percent from three-point range in his career, and last year he averaged just 9.3 points per 36 minutes. Yet he also attacks the basket as a smaller player, is all over the place on defense, and the Rockets were significantly better on defense when he played than when he didn’t.
Tate’s $7.6 million cap number in 2024-25 would make it relatively easy to move on, but the Rockets likely aren’t looking to simply shed his salary, but rather add his outgoing salary as ballast for a bigger contract, or trade him for draft capital that would sweeten the pot for a superstar.
Want to join the discussion? Like Rockets on SI Facebook and Follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with all the latest Rockets news. You can also meet the team behind the cover