From Jeanie Buss dismissing trade rumors about her Los Angeles Lakers as "fake news" at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, to James Dolan issuing a lifetime ban to a New York Knicks fan who yelled "sell the team" at a recent game, NBA owners have been demonstrating their power with a combative flair so far this month.
Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has now voiced his displeasure with an unflattering report about the current state of his franchise:
The interaction came shortly after news broke that the Rockets had signed long-time general manager Daryl Morey to a five-year contract extension.
The Rockets are slated to dole out between $123-125 million in overall player salary this season, according to Basketball-Reference. That's above average for an NBA team this year, but still well below the league-leading Miami Heat, who will be on the hook for over $150 million after accounting for a hefty luxury-tax bill.
Fertitta, a casino and restaurant magnate, purchased the team from Leslie Alexander for $2.2 billion in 2017.