Huston Rockets Sign Capela Five-Year Deal

Houston Rockets finally reached an agreement with starting center Clint Capela on a new five-year deal worth $90m, according to reports.

It keeps the 24-year-old at the Toyota Center during the prime of his career and is the good news fans desired. Even the prospects of signing LeBron James were remote, fans still felt acute disappointment when it all went south.

Capela joins Chris Paul in signing a new deal and stops a glut of departures – most notably Trevor Anza and Luc Mbah a Moute – from the Texan camp.

Carmelo Anthony and James Ennis III are signings for the future so retaining Capela gives the Rockets something tangible now.

At the top of his game, Capela is one of the best two-centers currently playing in the NBA. All his stats last season point to it being his best-ever. Capela averaged 13.9 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game during 2017-18.

His service is one of the key reasons the Warriors haven’t disappeared over the Western Conference horizon. Not that they are far off doing so.

Compared to others whose contracts renewed this summer, Capela’s deal represents excellent value. His $18m is less than Steven Adams ($20m) and Rudy Gobert ($20.5m), as well as tying the center down to a longer deal than either of that pair.

It leaves Capela as one of the central planks upon which the Rockets can build for the medium term. Pointing to the retention of key players strengthens Houston’s hand in bringing on board new players or renewing other deals.

The deal isn’t enough to give the Rockets believe they can go one better and win the Western Conference final. It is, however, a step in the right direction.

I am a reality TV junkie. My dream since I was a kid was to be on Big Brother, but until then you can catch me binge-watching episodes each summer.