Former Rocket Aaron Holiday Signs Contract with Maxima Roma

After three seasons with the Houston Rockets, Aaron Holiday has not only parted ways with the Rockets but also with the NBA. Holiday decided to sign a contract with the Italian club Maxima Roma. However, his overseas deal does include an NBA return clause, giving him a potential route back to the NBA.

Holiday joined Houston on July 10, 2023. The guard played three seasons with the Rockets, and most of his statistics were underwhelming. In his first season in Houston, he played 78 games. Across these games, he averaged 16.3 minutes, 6.6 points, and 1.8 assists per game. However, he was quite efficient from beyond the arc, as he converted 38.7% of his attempts.

The following two seasons were also unproductive; in fact, there was a slight dip in his overall stats. His points per game dropped to 5.5, and his assists per game dropped to 1.3 in 2024-25 and then to 1.1 in 2025-26. Although his production was lackluster, Houston’s roster depth, especially at the guard position, was very thin. Because of this, Holiday did hold some value, and the team was able to give him minutes on the court when needed.

However, Houston recently added Marcus Smart and Bruce Thornton to the roster, fixing the depth issue. The addition of these guards reduced the value that Holiday provided to the team, so parting ways with Holiday was a sound decision.

On Wednesday, August 19, 2026, Holiday signed a one-year deal with the Italian club Maxima Roma. Holiday is bringing eight years of NBA experience to the Italian league, the Lega Basket Serie A. Maxima Roma announced that he will be the team’s primary ball handler and floor general.

He will be joining a couple of other ex-NBA players in Italy, such as the ex-Laker Matthew Richard Ryan.

After playing a support role in Houston, the veteran guard will have the opportunity to be a true leader for his new team. This team is not only new to him, but also new to Italy. Maxima Roma was recently established, as the team bought the sporting license from Pallacanestro Brescia. This upcoming year will be Maxima Roma’s very first season in the Lega Basket Serie A.

Although the team is new to the league, Maxima Roma is projected to be a competitive team with hopes of making it to the playoffs. Will Holiday be able to flourish in his new lead role with a brand new team?