How Did The Houston Rockets Get Away With This?

How Did The Houston Rockets Get Away With This?

June 30th, 2025. While 29 NBA teams were fighting over scraps, the Houston Rockets quietly signed an elite 41% three-point shooter and brought back a former rebounding champion. Dorian Finny Smith, Clint Capella. Two proven winners, zero headlined, and somehow nobody stopped them. This is either the steel off free agency or I’m losing my mind.
Smith going to the basket. Count it.
Let’s set the stage here. The Rockets just finished second in the West. They’ve got Kevin Durant. They’ve got Alpen Shenun making all-star teams. They’ve got Aean Thompson looking like a future defensive player of the year. They’ve got one of the best young cores in basketball. And they just lost in the first round to the seventh seed Warriors. Why? Because depth wins championships. Because you need more than stars. Because when Dylan Brooks got traded in the Durant deal, they lost a key perimeter defender. But what if they could upgrade that position? Because Steven Adams is 31 and can’t play 35 minutes a night. But what if they had someone to share that load? So what does Houston do? They could have panicked. They could have overpaid for a big name. They could have traded away more young pieces. Instead, they played the free agency game perfectly. Dorian Finny Smith, four years, $53 million. And what did they get? Oh, just a guy who shot 41% from three last year, the best percentage of his career at 32. and Clint Capella 3 years 21 million. There are backup point guards making more than that. There are guys who don’t even play making more than that. And what did they get? A former rebounding champion. A guy who knows this franchise and city. A guy who’s already had success with this organization. A combined cost of $20 million per year for two proven playoff contributors. Some teams are playing that for one mediocre starter. But here’s what makes this criminal. Everyone knew what the Rockets needed. these exact players. They need wing depth. They need veteran shooting. They need another big behind Shenun. They need playoff experience. Houston’s response, check, check, check, and check.
Morantis.
Oh my goodness.
But wait, you might be thinking, if these guys are so good, why did nobody else grab them? Let me show you why Finny Smith might be the most underrated player in the NBA. Here’s a stat that will blow your mind. Dorian Finny Smith is the only player in the entire NBA who defended all five positions for at least 15 half court matchups per game last season. The only one. Point guards locked up. Shooting guards clamp. Small forwards shut down. Power forwards, no problem. Centers, yep, he guards them, too. At 6’7″, 220 lb, this man is a defensive Swiss Army knife. And when he’s your primary defender, opponents shoot 5% worse. That’s the difference between an average shooter and a terrible shooter. But here’s what’s crazy. Everyone knows him as a defender. What they miss is offensive explosion. After hovering around 35 to 37% from three for years, Vinnie Smith just shot 41% last season. Careerhigh age 32. That’s not a fluke. That’s a player who’s figured something out. His catch and shoot percentage 43%. That’s elite. That’s defenses have to guard you at all times. Elite. That’s perfect. next to Kevin Durant elite. And here’s the thing about playing with great passes. They make good shooters great. Finny Smith thrived playing along with Luca Donuch in Dallas and LA. Now he gets to play with Shenun. Basically a mini Jokic who lives to find open shooters. This kid is averaging five assists per game as a center. He sees passes that shouldn’t exist. He threads needles that aren’t there. And now he’s got a 41% three-point shooter who knows exactly where to be.
Sweet. Get another one. That’s not fair. That’s a cheat code. But let’s go back to that defense for a second. The Rockets lost Dylan Brooks in the Durant trade. Brooks was their defensive anchor on the perimeter. Shot 39% from three in the regular season sure, but dropped to 34% in the playoffs. Finny Smith, better defender, better shooter, better playoff performer, and he cost less than what Brooks was making. One more thing nobody talks about. Finny Smith is a culture guy. nine-year veteran, been through the wars, never complains about his role, never takes bad shots, always makes the right play. You know what young teams need? Exactly that. So, the Rockets got an elite 3 and D wing for pennies on the dollar. But that’s only half the story because what they did with Clint Capella, that’s when this gets personal. Let me tell you a story. 2014 NBA draft pick number 25. The Houston Rockets select a RAW athletic center from Switzerland named Clint Capella. Nobody knew who he was. Nobody thought he’d amount to anything. 6 years later, he was catching lobs from James Harden, protecting the rim, and helping the Rocket to push the Warriors to seven games. 6 years in Houston, from raw rookie to starting center, from G-League project to runner-up most improved player. By 2019, he was the perfect rim running center for their system. Then in 2020, they traded him to Atlanta in a salary dump. and Capella. He went to Atlanta and led the NBA in rebounding. 14.3 rebounds per game in 202021. More than Goar, more than Embiid, more than Joic. But here’s what nobody noticed. Capella’s numbers in 2425. Points 8.9, lowest since 2016. Rebounds 8.5 down from 14.3. Minutes 21.4. Career low as a starter. He was fading Atlanta, getting phased out, becoming an afterthought. And then June 30th happened. The Rockets called come home. 3 years, $21 million. That’s backup center money for a starting caliber player. The Capella.
But here’s why this is genius for Houston. The lob threat. Capella’s bread and butter. Elite finisher on Alioops. And with Shenun’s passing ability from the high post, the chemistry is going to be immediate. elite screen setter who creates space. Perfect for Durant’s mid-range game and perfect for ShenGun’s passing lane. 18.7% offensive rebound rate. That’s elite. Second chances, extra possessions, winning plays, and he’s still averaging one block per game in limited minutes. In Houston’s system with Udoka’s defense, that number’s going up. The Rockets now have Alpron Shenun, Steven Adams, Clint Capella. That’s three legitimate NBA centers in a league where most teams can barely find two. And here’s the hidden value. Capella knows this organization. He knows the culture. He knows what it takes to succeed here. Someone who went from pick 25 to starting center. Someone who maximized limited offensive skills through elite effort and IQ.
Watch as the fun starts on the weekend. Okay, so the Rockets got two perfect role players for less than $21 million combined. But here’s where this gets scary for the rest of the league. Remember how this started? Second seed loses to seventh seed. First round exit, season over, Durant trade happens, but the core issue remained depth. Now look at this roster. The starters Fred Van Vleet, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alpron Shenun and the bench Dorian Finny Smith, Clint Capella, Reed Shepard, Cam Whitmore, Trey Een, Aaron Holiday. The lineup combinations are insane. Want to go small? Run Van Vleet, Thompson, Durant, Finny, Smith, Changun, and try to score on five switchable defenders. Need size? Throw out Capella and Adams together for the Twin Towers look. Want pure chaos? Let Finny Smith guard centers while Durant runs point forward. And here’s the beautiful part. This entire roster construction makes sense financially. Durant at 51 million is your superstar. Van Vleet and Shenun combined for 60 million as your core pieces. Then Finny Smith and Capella just 20 million combined for elite role players. That’s smart money. The age timeline works perfectly too. Your young core of Shenun, Bumpson, Smith Jr. are all 2122 just entering their development curve. Your vets in Durant, Van Vleet, Finny, Smith, Adams, and Capella provide the championship and playoff experience. It’s the ideal blend of youth and wisdom. Look at the Western Conference now. It’s really a three-team race. The defending champion Thunder with their young core, the Nuggets with Joic at his peak, and now the Rocket, deeper, more balanced, and hungrier than ever. Everyone else, they’re playing for fourth place. So, how did the Houston Rockets get away with this? Simple. They zigged when everyone else zagged. They valued fit over names. They valued winning over ego. They valued basketball over everything else. Dorian Finny Smith, a 41% threepoint shooter who can guard all five positions on this Rockets team with these playmakers. Perfect fit. Clink Capella coming home. That’s not a reunion. That’s Destiny. A proven performer who knows the city knows what it takes for backup center money. It’s disrespectful. The Rockets didn’t just improve their roster. They completed it. They found the exact pieces that fit around Durant and Shenun. They addressed every weakness from their playoff loss. And they did it for less money than some teams spend on their third best player. The Houston Rockets got away with this because nobody believed they could. But mostly they got away with it because they’re smarter than everyone else. And now now they’re more dangerous than ever. What’s your take? Did the Rockets just win free agency without anyone noticing? Is this the depth that puts them over the top? Drop your thoughts below. Remember to like, subscribe, and hit the bell because this season Houston’s about to shock everyone.

The Houston Rockets have pulled off one of the most audacious offseason moves in recent NBA history, and the league is buzzing. In this video, we delve into how the Rockets managed to acquire superstar Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns. This blockbuster deal has significantly altered the NBA landscape .

But the Rockets didn’t stop there. They bolstered their roster by signing veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith to a four-year, $53 million contract, adding a versatile 3-and-D presence to their lineup . Additionally, they reunited with center Clint Capela on a three-year, $21.5 million deal, enhancing their frontcourt depth and rim protection .

With these strategic moves, the Rockets have transformed into a formidable contender in the Western Conference. Under the leadership of head coach Ime Udoka, the team now boasts a blend of seasoned veterans and promising young talent, positioning themselves as a serious threat in the upcoming season .

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