Free agent center Clint Capela agreed to a three-year, $21.5 million deal with the Houston Rockets on Monday, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Capela is heading back to familiar territory. The big man spent his first six NBA seasons with the Rockets after they drafted him 25th overall in 2014.
The Rockets wasted no time upgrading their frontcourt, snagging the 6-foot-10 center on the very first day of free agency.
Before joining Houston, Capela had been with the Atlanta Hawks for five years.
The 31-year-old brings solid career numbers to Houston. In 664 regular-season games (587 starts), he’s averaged 12 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks while shooting an impressive 61.7% from the field.
That kind of shooting efficiency is hard to find.
Capela made $22.2 million last season with Atlanta – the final year of a two-year, $45.9 million extension he signed back in September 2021.
His new deal with Houston represents a significant pay cut, but gives him a chance to return to the team where he started his NBA journey.
Role Reduced in Atlanta
Capela’s playing time took a hit last season. He averaged just 21.4 minutes per game – his lowest since joining the Hawks in 2020.
He put up 8.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 55 games, starting 41 of them.
The Hawks began giving more minutes to younger center Onyeka Okongwu, who eventually replaced Capela in the starting lineup in January.
It was quite a change from Capela’s first season in Atlanta. Back in 2020-21, he was a rebounding machine, leading the entire NBA with 14.3 boards per game while also scoring 15.2 points and blocking 2.0 shots.
His numbers dipped a bit the following year, but he still shot over 61% from the field – good enough for seventh-best in the league.
Rockets Building Something Special
The Capela signing is just the latest move in what’s been a busy offseason for Houston.
The biggest splash came in June when they shocked the NBA by trading for superstar Kevin Durant. They sent Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, next year’s first-round pick, and five second-rounders to Phoenix to land the future Hall of Famer.
Durant apparently plans to finish his career in Houston. Charania revealed on First Take: “The goal right now for Kevin Durant and the Rockets is for him to retire in Houston. They’re going to eventually this offseason discuss a contract extension.”
The Rockets have been busy keeping their own free agents too. They’ve re-signed Jae’Sean Tate to a one-year, $3 million deal, while veterans Aaron Holiday and Jeff Green agreed to minimum contracts.
They also extended center Steven Adams and locked up head coach Ime Udoka with a new deal.
Perhaps most importantly, veteran guard Fred VanVleet committed to stay, agreeing to a two-year, $50 million contract with a player option for 2026-27.
With Capela now in the mix, the Rockets are clearly positioning themselves as a team ready to make some noise in the Western Conference.
