While the Houston Rockets kept Chris Paul on a max contract, and seem to be on their way to adding Carmelo Anthony at some point this off-season, they took care of other business on Friday. The Rockets locked up big man Clint Capela with a five-year deal worth $90 million. The 24-year-old was a restricted free agent, but would have been unrestricted come summer of 2019 if he had signed the $4.3 million qualifying offer from Houston.
This deal is well-deserved based on his production during the Rockets' near-Finals run this past season. Capela averaged 13.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game, while also recording an NBA-high 65.2 field goal percentage. When he was in the lineup with James Harden and Paul, the Rockets went a stellar 42-3, and nearly took out the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals because of him.
Those three key players are all locked in, as Harden also signed a max extension last summer. The wait on Anthony continues, as he was recently dealt to the Atlanta Hawks by the Oklahoma City Thunder in a three-team deal. The plan is for the Hawks to buy out his contract, which has yet to happen. The Rockets nearly added the veteran before he went to OKC last off-season.
Capela's deal includes incentives of $500,000 and $1.5 million, as Houston now holds a payroll of $136 million. That puts them at the fourth-highest in the league, behind the Thunder, Warriors, and Toronto Raptors. That means if and when they add Anthony, it would not be on any big-sized contract, which could also lead to Melo coming off the Rockets' bench.
This deal is well-deserved based on his production during the Rockets' near-Finals run this past season. Capela averaged 13.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game, while also recording an NBA-high 65.2 field goal percentage. When he was in the lineup with James Harden and Paul, the Rockets went a stellar 42-3, and nearly took out the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals because of him.
Those three key players are all locked in, as Harden also signed a max extension last summer. The wait on Anthony continues, as he was recently dealt to the Atlanta Hawks by the Oklahoma City Thunder in a three-team deal. The plan is for the Hawks to buy out his contract, which has yet to happen. The Rockets nearly added the veteran before he went to OKC last off-season.
Capela's deal includes incentives of $500,000 and $1.5 million, as Houston now holds a payroll of $136 million. That puts them at the fourth-highest in the league, behind the Thunder, Warriors, and Toronto Raptors. That means if and when they add Anthony, it would not be on any big-sized contract, which could also lead to Melo coming off the Rockets' bench.
