Rockets grab option on Yao's fourth year
(Houston Chronicle)
Updated: 2004-09-15 13:38

After a summer spent reshaping the roster with a series of difficult choices, the Rockets kept one big thing the same with the simplest of decisions.

The Rockets sent notices this week to the NBA and to agents for Yao Ming that they would, as expected, pick up the option on the fourth season of Yao's rookie contract, worth $5,594,907 for the 2005-2006 season, league sources and sources familiar with the move said Tuesday.

The move, barring changes to the collective bargaining agreement, gives the Rockets the exclusive right next summer to negotiate a long-term extension for Yao beginning with the 2006-2007 season and to match any offer he might receive if he instead becomes a free agent after that season.

Negotiations on the new collective bargaining agreement will determine whether the rights set in place in the previous CBA would carry over, although the league is expected to make retaining that part of the system among its priorities.

Yao, 24, the first player taken in the 2002 NBA draft and an All-Star starter in each of his first two NBA seasons, averaged 17.5 points and nine rebounds last season.

The decision to pick up the option on Yao's contract was not much of a decision, but the Rockets face a difficult choice on Bostjan Nachbar, the other member of the 2002 rookie class. The Rockets have not picked up the fourth-year option on Nachbar's deal but have until the end of October to make that move. They likely would want to use training camp and the preseason to get a feel for where Nachbar might fit in their rotation and plans given how little playing time he received in his first two seasons.

Nachbar, 24, played in 45 games last season and averaged 3.1 points and 1.6 rebounds.

The Rockets are working on an extension of Tracy McGrady's deal. McGrady, 25, could opt out of his deal after this season but said he would like a long-term extension.