Undrafted Forward Signs Deal to Return to the Rockets
The Houston Rockets were certainly one of the most surprising teams to take a massive leap during the 2024-2025 NBA season. They finished second in the West with a 52-30 record. While they finished second in the Western Conference, they were still 16 games behind the eventual NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder. During the 2025 NBA Playoffs, Houston would be bounced out in the first round by the Golden State Warriors in seven games. Even though he’s 29 years old, Jae’Sean Tate’s production has slowed down over the past couple of seasons. After signing a three-year extension with the Rockets in 2022, Tate has now once again become a free agent. It’s been announced by Shams Charania that the undrafted forward signed a deal to return to the Houston Rockets.
Tate went undrafted during the 2018 NBA Draft, but would later be a member of the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2018 NBA Summer League. Yet, he was unable to play due to a fractured finger on his right hand. The undrafted forward played in both Belgium and Australia between 2018 and 2020. On November 26th, 2020, the Rockets signed Tate, and a month later, he would make his NBA debut, scoring 13 points while also recording four rebounds and two assists in an overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Almost a year later, on December 21st, 2021, Tate scored a career-high 32 points while tacking on 10 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and five blocks. He signed a three-year, $22 million extension with Houston during the 2022 offseason.
This past season, Tate played in 52 games with the Rockets, having just two starts on the season. He averaged roughly four points, two rebounds, and an assist in 11 minutes played per game. On January 28th, during a 100-96 win over the Atlanta Hawks, the undrafted forward scored a season-high of 16 points. The 29-year-old small forward’s points per game have dropped nearly every season since his sophomore season, averaging 12, then nine, four, and three points a game. With the Rockets, Tate looks to take his stock higher and become more of an offensive threat.
