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July 1, 2025 • 12 mins
Following the conclusion of the 2024-25 NBA season, the free agency period in the NBA is officially underway now as the Houston Rockets waste no time in aiming to make another playoff run for the 2026 season. Jumping out early trading for Kevin Durant followed by extensions signed for players like VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr., and Steven Adams the Rockets look to be huge contenders coming out of the West for next year. Following the signing of Dorian Finney-Smith and bringing back Clint Capela on a 3-year deal, host of Locked On Rockets Ben DuBose joins Sean and Dan discussing the Rockets' offseason moves thus far and the possibility of making a finals appearance with a bit of a renewed Rockets roster.
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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Rockets, Dory and Finney Smith here on a four
year deal and Clint Capella here on a three year deal.
And to help us talk more about it, you hear
him here as part of our platform on the iHeartRadio
app with the logger Line podcast. He's been covering the
Rockets for quite some time. Rockets Wire another place that
you can find his work part of USA. Today, he

(00:21):
is beIN Dubo's been appreciate the time this morning, let's
just start. I mean, you know, we heard the rumors
yesterday that Dorry and Finney Smith was a possibility. But
when you heard the news about Clint Capella, what immediately
came to mind for you?

Speaker 2 (00:36):
It was definitely shocking. The first thing I wondered about
was is there something big cooking everybody? I sort of wondered, hey,
they're about to flip Alprinchtragon and some guys for you, honest,
because now you have two veteran centers and Steven Adams
and Clint Capella that could conceivably fill those minutes. But
the more I thought about it, the more I did

(00:57):
some digging, it dawns on me that hey, this is
such a friendly contract. Clint Capella is getting paid less
than Jack Landil was last year, and he's a far
better player, so there is a role there. We saw
Landale play a decent bit last year because you know,
steveman Adams is now in his thirties, he needs to
be oade managed and unlike Jack Landale, Clint Capella is

(01:18):
a lob threat. He's an above the rim guy, so
he provides a different type of player. Now down the road,
he could be tradable salary, or perhaps having Clint makes
it to where if Joannis comes available later and you
think you need to do something like that, then I
guess the optionality that you can backfill the center minutes.
I'm sure that's part of it. But the more I

(01:39):
think about it, and the more I did some digging,
I think, honestly, it just comes down to the fact that, look,
Jack Landale had a role last season, but Clint Capell
is an upgrade and he's going to get paid less money,
so why wouldn't you do it. It's an awkward bit
because he's definitely overqualified to be a third string center,
but if you can get a better player making less money,
why wouldn't you do it? That's ultimately where I sort

(02:01):
of landed on.

Speaker 3 (02:02):
This absolutely Ben. Is there a big deal still ahead?
Is there a chance that Giannis is possibly in play,
or that Shen Gouon or someone like that gets moved,
or are they done?

Speaker 2 (02:14):
I think for now they're probably done, I could see.
So one thing to keep in mind as you go
into the season, these guys that they've signed in the
off season, most notably Capella and Dorey Anthony Smith, will
become tradable. I think December fifteenth is the date, and
so these guys that are on friendly contracts or any

(02:35):
one years that they sign, you can potentially aggregate salaries
during the year, and that might be more realistic anyway,
both the Rockets and you know, a team such as
Milwaukee might want to give it a little bit of
a trial run and then if it's not working out,
you can look for a big deal during the season.
I think it's difficult to pull off now, both in

(02:55):
terms of do the Rockets have enough salaries and also
just because with bringing in Kevin Durant and the guys
that they've signed. Even if you could theoretically package like
three or four players for one and bring in a
Giannis or Lebron or someone like that. They're now you know,
we're getting in the weeds here with the salary cap,
but they're basically hard capped at the first apron, that's

(03:17):
what it's called. And you would then have to fill
those roster spots. So even if you do a four
for one, you still have to eventually tign players for
those roster spots, right, and so it would be very
difficult to do that for the full season. You might
could do it midway through and you'll have more options then,
But for now, I think they're probably done, and this
is a team that I think by and large they'll
take the training gap.

Speaker 3 (03:36):
Hey Ben, this Vegas loves what they've done. Obviously we've
all seen and there is an excitement, the buzz around it,
and you're dialed into this team. Where's the weakness now,
at least on paper, where's the weakness when you look
at them heading into this season?

Speaker 2 (03:51):
I think it's more so people will question if they
have enough guards because they traded Jalen Green, who is
their primary backcourt creator, in the Kevin Durant deal, and
most people look at KD as a forward. Now, what
I'll tell you, Sean Internally inside the building, they view

(04:12):
Kevin Durant as a shooting guard. So I don't think.

Speaker 3 (04:15):
I had I had him as the two. I had
him play in the two? Did right? Is that exactly?

Speaker 2 (04:19):
That's where I had him exactly? Now. Defensively, I think
he'll probably guard forwards because he'll be thirty seven and
Aman Thompson is quick enough that even if he's technically
a forward, he can guard guards on the other end.
But I think people will look at them and say, hey,
they don't really have a traditional guard in terms of,

(04:39):
you know, a super athletic guy that can pressure the rim,
and so how's that going to work against a really
good defense like Oklahoma City, who's obviously their primary competition.
But I think what they'll tell you, number one, with
Kevin Durant, you might can shoot your way out of it.
And secondly, I think what ties all these signings together
they want to be a bigger team. That's something I've

(05:02):
heard all off season when I talked to people inside
the building there is that when you look at their
data last year, they were at their best when it
was just one let's say point guard, either Fredens leader
Jalen Green, not both just one of those guys and
then you had three wings and a center. And so
the idea and this plays into emy Udoka's coaching style
as well, with how he wants to be tough physical. Basically,

(05:26):
the more size the better, and so guys like Dorian,
Phiney Smith and Clint Papella they can set screens, they
can crash the glass. In Phinty Smith's case, he can
shoot and face the four. They just want more long,
rangy bodies that can you know, defend in space, can
jump the passing lanes, can be physical. And I think
the way they're looking at this Sean is that they

(05:48):
don't necessarily need a traditional shooting guard to sort of
attack the rim. They want to do it with more
size and shooting, and they think that they have enough
long rangey, physical guy that they can generate. Often. You know,
there was this talk in the playoffs about the double
big and to all Brinch and Goon and Stevens Adams credit,
it did work well, but it wasn't just the two

(06:10):
of them. It was more that they were big in general.
They often played Javari Smith at six to eleven at
the three. So I think what they're trying to do.
You know, philosophically, I understand the question. So I think
the way they look at it is that if you
have the shooting of Kevin Durant, and you have all
these long guys and an an athletic freak like Amn Thompson,
that even if it doesn't look traditionally like the way

(06:32):
a modern NBA offense runs, that they can get the
production that they need simply because they're that damn big
and they can just crash the glass and do all
the little things that we know emy Udoka wants his
team to do again.

Speaker 1 (06:43):
He's part of Rockets Wire as part of USA Today.
Also too, you can hear him as part of the
logger Line podcast, which is available right here on the
iHeartRadio app. He's been to Bo's Ben. I mean you mentioned,
you know the possibility of the larger move that's out there,
because I mean, I'm in that camp that wonders if
these moves are being made to set up the massive

(07:04):
move to go get Yanni Santa Compo. But where they
sit salary cap wise, do you see any other small
moves maybe that need to be made in order for
anything else to be thought about?

Speaker 2 (07:17):
I am watching what's going to happen with Cam witmore,
And it may not be to bring in an immediate upgrade.
It could be simply that hey, Cam's going into year
three and whether he's here or someone somewhere else for
his development to maximize his contract, he needs to play.
And you've already got a clear top nine between the starters,
and then the four top guys off the bench wall

(07:38):
be Tari Eathan, Steven Adams, Dorian Phinney, Smith, and Ree Shepherd.
So I am watching Cam. Maybe they keep Cam because
they think he can sort of fit into that mobile
I was just describing he fis, but seventy is a
super athlete. We know he's very physical. So maybe they
keep him and try to play a ten man rotation,
or maybe they try and find another home for him.

(07:59):
I think that's something that they're going to try and
resolve in the next few days. I will say that
if you keep it, you don't just your bench the
way they did for a lot of last year going
into year three. If you keep him, you need to
have a plan to actually play him, and so I
think that's a discussion that that they're going to have.
But I really think the more I look at these contracts,
which that's something that under rafel Stone for years, they

(08:22):
have been very disciplined in the contract. I really think
that you're largely going to go to camp as is.
Maybe you move Cam whitmore, maybe there's you know, a
move around the margins to add one more shooter to
the back court. They are a little bit thin there,
but I don't think it's going to be anything drastic.
What I think they want is the flexibility, as you said,

(08:43):
to make a move later. And at this point, you know,
the draft is gone, free agency, the first wave is
come and went, so it's not impossible for another big
name to hit the market this offseason. But I think
it's a lot less likely than it was, you know,
a month or two ago. So I think by large
the plan is get to the season as is, to

(09:03):
see how it goes, and then if you get to December,
you get to January and things aren't progressing as you
would like, then they do have the option to pursue
some of those bigger moves later.

Speaker 3 (09:13):
All right, Ben, let me get some closure on this
Jalen Green thing. Now, I contend, and maybe I'm wrong
that had it been reversed against Golden State. Let's say
you play six good games and as one you know,
crap out right where a year and age down, his
leg doesn't play well. Would they have would this move
have been made? When did they decide that it was
time to move on from Jalen Green.

Speaker 2 (09:35):
I don't think it was just because of the playoffs,
but it certainly it certainly didn't help. I think they
wanted to give The way I looked at this, so
if you can get Kevin Durant at a low price point,
which they did. Really the only young assets they gave
up were the number ten pick in the draft and

(09:57):
Jalen Green. Right, that's pretty low from an assets standpoint,
and he was an All Star last year and he's
still you know, his game should age well as you'd
have two or three great years still left. And so
especially with Jalen now on a more expensive contract which
they signed him to prior to last season. The only
way that I think in the long run you'd be,

(10:21):
you know, regretting trading Jalen Green is if he turned
into like a legit all NBA guy, like top ten,
top fifteen. And I think we've seen enough now after
four years, and you have gotten to see what happens
in the playoffs, it's fair to say that's unlikely. Like,
I don't think you should conclude that Jalen Green is
a terrible basketball player or anything like that. No, that's
way too reactionary. But I will say that they've given

(10:45):
him enough of a runway to where we can safely
say he's probably not going to be a legit star.
And if he's not a star, at the money he's making,
and with so many of these young guys do for
new deals in the coming years, you know one other
factor behind them being so aggressive this offseason. They really
believe in a men Thompson, and a men Thompson has

(11:07):
got two more years on his rookie scale deal, So
Sean is kind of like in football when you have
a star quarterback on that first contract and you really
want to load up while he's cheap. That's the window
for the Rockets right now. With a Men Thompson. They
think they have a star level player who has two
more years very cheap. So if Jalen's not going to
be worth his contract in that window and you can

(11:27):
get a Kevin Durant, I think they had to do
it and you know that's no disrespect to Jalen. I
think he can still be a good player in the NBA,
but the odds of him being a star, I think
at this point those have dropped significantly. And if he's
not going to be a star, I don't think you're
going to regret moving on from him, especially if he's
really the only piece that goes out for Kevin Fringing
and Ben.

Speaker 3 (11:47):
That's such a great point because well CJ. Stroud is
what you're talking about about. A men Thompson right now.
You know a rookie salary who's going to make sixty
million bucks a year when it happens, So get a
while the getting's good in truth and Dan and Ben
both if Jalen Green turned out to be that guy,
you know Ben that he's a top fifteen player. If
the Rockets win a World Series under this window with
Kevin Durant, it won't matter what he does, it will

(12:10):
have been worth it. At least that's the way I feel,
because the rings.

Speaker 2 (12:16):
Pretty bazy.

Speaker 3 (12:16):
Did I say world Series? I met the world champion?
Yeah that too, they do, that'll be double. But if
they do, I know you're going on. I was gonna
let you go. Hell and if then, if the Astros
win an NBA championship, they'll be great to tell that
it'll be worth it no matter what he does, if
they put a ring on their finger. Ben, that's just
the bottom line, it'll be worth it.

Speaker 2 (12:35):
Absolutely Yep, Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 1 (12:37):
You can find them part of the logger Line podcast.
Listen to it right here on the iHeartRadio app and
also to part of USA Today with the Rockets Wire.
He's been to Bo's. Ben, appreciate your time this morning. No,
it's been pretty busy, but appreciate you spending a few
minutes with us.

Speaker 3 (12:51):
Great stuff, Ben, Thanks man, thanks for having me.

Speaker 2 (12:54):
Guys,
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