Remember Clint Capela?
Three weeks ago, the Houston Rockets centre was one of the hottest commodities in the free agency market. He is the prime example of the modern day NBA big man that can protect the rim and is effective in the pick and roll.
As a restricted free agent, Capela wasn’t expected to last in the market. The Los Angeles Lakers have shown interest on the Swiss international while Houston were reportedly ready to match any offer that their 24-year-old centre will receive.
Three weeks later, however, Capela is still without a contract. Basketball junkies waiting for the latest NBA news have been left frustrated as well, no thanks to the lack of #WojBomb involving the Geneva, Switzerland native. Contract talks with the Lakers didn’t get far and the Rockets now appear to be haggling for a better and more team-friendly deal.
So what exactly happened to Capela and what once seemed to be a summer of wealth? SBOBET takes a look.
Clint wants the money
Capela is a really good basketball player and has shown the desire to improve his game. In his four seasons in the league, he has consistently increased his numbers every year and eventually became a key part of the Houston offence that featured James Harden and Chris Paul.
The trio of Harden, Paul and Capela were deadly in the pick and roll; and with Paul and Harden drawing most of the defence, Capela often takes advantage to dominate inside the paint. Last season, the Swiss averaged 13.9 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.
Not to mention his defence. He’s undoubtedly one of the best rim protectors in the NBA, averaging almost two blocks in 74 starts last season. According to NBA stats, opponents shot 5.1 percentage points below when he is within six feet of the rim.
Capela’s presence helped Houston surprise the NBA betting odds, reaching the Western Conference finals before losing only to Golden State in seven games.
Sure enough, given his importance to the Rockets and what he has shown so far, Capela expected to hit a big payday this summer. He was reportedly seeking a max contract, with some NBA updates even pointing that he prefers the same deal that Steven Adams got with Oklahoma—a four-year, $100 million contract.
And in a time that Ian Mahinmi is getting $65 million over four years, Mason Plumlee with $41 million over three years and even the injury-prone Zach Lavine and Jabari Parker getting almost $20 million a season over the life of their contracts, Capela’s demand seems to be reasonable.
In a surprising turn of events, however, he hasn’t got any deal near his perceived worth.
No one has the cap space
Capela wants $25 million a year and simply put, no one has the cap space to pay him such a hefty price.
In fact, based on Spotrac, only four teams (Sacramento, Phoenix, Dallas and Philadelphia) are below the cap. Out of those teams, though, the Kings have the highest space remaining at around $2 million.
With that said, it’s unlikely that Capela will get what he wanted. It’s also worth noting that he doesn’t have much leverage in negotiating with other teams. He’s a restricted free agent and it’s common knowledge in the league that the Rockets will match any offer given to their starter.
What’s up with Houston?
As what we have discussed before, Houston need Capela. Nonetheless, with no genuine competitors for his services, they are driving a hard bargain.
Houston reportedly offered Capela a five-year contract worth $85 million, a deal that could potentially reach the $90-million mark with incentives. Nonetheless, that’s tens of millions away from Capela’s asking price.
The Rockets could also argue that they can get at least 50 to 70 percent of what Capela does from other bigs—and for way less the price. Heck, even four-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins signed with the Warriors for a measly midlevel exception worth $5.3 million!
Possible scenarios
Of course, there’s still a team that can opt to break the bank and offer Capela the max. That would also be a good move for it can pose problems for Houston who would have ended up paying more than $300 million on three players alone in the next few years.
Another option is for Capela to accept the latest contract from Houston. He’s not sure about his current and future value so accepting the contract will at least give him security.
The general consensus, though, is for Capela to bet on himself and to sign the qualifying offer that would make him an unrestricted free agent next season. He would lose a lot this year, though that’s a little price he has to pay should he succeed next season and drive up his stock even more.
Houston wouldn’t want that. After all, they did well picking Capela 25th overall in the 2014 draft and developing him into one of the best big men in the league.
Nevertheless, as Houston and Capela know, money talks in sports.
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