Houston Rockets Make Big Moves in NBA Free Agency

The Houston Rockets have been busy this offseason. They started by trading for Kevin Durant, a 15-time All-Star who will turn 37 in September. Durant had a solid season last year, averaging 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Rockets also signed Fred VanVleet to a two-year, $50 million deal and Jabari Smith Jr. to a five-year, $122 million contract. They didn't stop there. They also added Steven Adams, Jeff Green, Aaron Holiday, and Jae'Sean Tate. And they gave head coach Ime Udoka a contract extension. But the Rockets weren't done yet. They signed Dorian Finney-Smith away from the Los Angeles Lakers for $53 million over four years. Finney-Smith had a good season with the Lakers, shooting better than 40% from three-point range. He's a good defender too, which fits well with Udoka's system. The Rockets also signed Clint Capela away from the Atlanta Hawks for $21. 5 million over three years. This is a bit of a head-scratcher, as the Rockets already have Steven Adams and Alperen Şengün on the roster. But the Rockets are going all-in, and Capela is a solid player. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks lost Brook Lopez to the Los Angeles Clippers. Lopez was a big part of the Bucks' championship run in 2021, but he wasn't exceptional last season. The Bucks replaced him with Myles Turner, who is younger and has a similar skill set. Turner helped the Indiana Pacers reach the NBA Finals last season. The Denver Nuggets made some moves too. They traded Michael Porter Jr. for Cameron Johnson. Johnson is a more consistent player than Porter, and he fits well with Nikola Jokić. The Nuggets also added Bruce Brown, who was a key player for them in 2023. The Memphis Grizzlies had a busy offseason as well. They traded up to draft Cedric Coward and extended Jaren Jackson Jr. 's contract for five years and $240 million. They also re-signed Santi Aldama and stole Ty Jerome from the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Grizzlies are looking to rebuild after trading Desmond Bane. The Los Angeles Lakers, on the other hand, had a disappointing offseason. They lost Finney-Smith and didn't make any big moves. They signed Jake LaRavia, but he's not a star player. The Lakers are in a tough spot, as LeBron James is getting older and they don't have much cap space. The Atlanta Hawks had a good offseason. They traded for Kristaps Porziņģis and added Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. The Hawks are looking strong in the Eastern Conference. The NBA as a whole had a quiet offseason. There weren't many big moves, and the second apron is making it harder for teams to spend money. The Dallas Mavericks had a weird year, trading Luka Dončić and signing D'Angelo Russell. It's unclear what their plan is. Finally, some good dudes got good contracts. Luke Kornet signed a four-year, $41 million deal with the San Antonio Spurs, and Kevon Looney signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the New Orleans Pelicans. It's good to see hard work pay off.