Grading the deal: Rockets' patience pays off in re-signing Capela

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey read the market perfectly and locked down a long-term solution at center for an affordable price.

Morey signed restricted free agent Clint Capela to a five-year, $80-million contract - with an additional $10 million in performance incentives - on Friday. Capela wanted more than $100 million but eventually came around to the Rockets' offer after the market dried up.

Grade: A

Capela gives the Rockets much-needed security in the frontcourt as the perfect pick-and-roll partner for slashers James Harden and Chris Paul. The 24-year-old Swiss international is happy in his role as a prolific lob finisher and he also continues to show improvement on the defensive end.

Patience pays off

Houston initially offered $85 million, then dared Capela to find a better deal within a stingy market, knowing it could match any offer.

The big man was deserving of a massive raise following a breakout campaign in which he finished second to Victor Oladipo for Most Improved Player, but Morey knew the market wouldn't necessarily reflect that. Capela had to settle for Houston's figure.

It was simply an impossible summer for free agents, as cap sheets remained clogged as a result of the shortsighted buys from the one-time $30-million cap spike in 2016. Only five teams had a viable path to max cap room, and none of them prioritized Capela.

The 2018 draft was dominated by bigs, which eliminated the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings from the Capela sweepstakes. Phoenix took Deandre Ayton with the No. 1 pick, while Sacramento nabbed Marvin Bagley III with the second selection.

Capela's market shrunk even further after LeBron James took his talents to the Los Angeles Lakers. Magic Johnson prioritized cap flexibility over immediately adding a second star, so he filled his roster with one-year deals, and the Philadelphia 76ers followed the same strategy after missing out on James.

That left the Dallas Mavericks, who were determined to land DeAndre Jordan on their second try, even though Capela is arguably the superior player. Jordan inked a one-year deal worth $22 million after Dallas failed to secure a trade agreement with the LA Clippers.

At that point, Capela was out of options. Turning down $90 million to roll the dice on a $7-million offer sheet to test unrestricted free agency next summer simply wasn't a prudent decision, so he eventually caved and the Rockets scored a discount on his prime seasons.

The perfect role player

Houston specifically structured incentives into Capela's contract for rebounding and foul shooting, which speaks to how it envisions his role.

The Rockets don't need another shot creator because they have Harden and Paul locked up for another four seasons. Capela's role will stay the same; he'll be asked to pressure the basket on both ends.

He was already the most efficient pick-and-roll finisher in the league at 1.34 points per possession. Most of the credit goes to Harden and Paul for being exceptional playmakers, but Capela has also mastered his timing on when to flash to the basket, and his stop-and-go chemistry with Harden is second to none.

Houston's offense is built to capitalize on mismatches, and the presence of Capela forces difficult decisions when he's working in spread pick-and-roll. Guarding the Harden-Capela two-man game is like playing whack-a-mole - defenses are bound to concede something between the drive, the dive, and the pull-up jumper.

Some teams resort to switching just to avoid the headache, but that only plays into the Rockets' hands. Harden was the most efficient isolation player in the league last season at 1.22 points per possession, while Paul ranked second (1.10 PPP).

Intentionally fouling Capela was a solution in the past, but he's even showing progress on that front. He bumped his free-throw accuracy for the fourth consecutive season and converted 56 percent from the line last season, which was just enough to tilt the math in Houston's favor. Two free throws for Capela equals 1.12 points per possession, which is what the Rockets averaged on the whole last season.

Capela is also starting to develop a reputation for being a capable defender after the Rockets finished with the sixth-stingiest defense in the league last season. Most of that mark is tied to Houston's switching scheme, but Capela showed off his defensive chops by limiting Karl-Anthony Towns to 15 points on 46 percent shooting in the first round of the playoffs.

Like most bigs, Capela struggles to check the perimeter, but he's steadily becoming a credible rim protector. Opponents shot 5.1 percentage points lower within six feet of the basket when Capela guarded the shot, and he finished third behind Anthony Davis and Rudy Gobert in blocks per game. He also finished sixth in defensive rebounding percentage, which gave Houston the option to play small ball when necessary.