Inside The Rockets

Houston Rockets: Clint Capela, Dorian Finney-Smith Contract Details

Unofficial contract details for Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela have been released after the two signed with the Houston Rockets.
Dec 21, 2019; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (15) against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Dec 21, 2019; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (15) against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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The Houston Rockets have been one of the most talked-about teams in the NBA offseason after free agency and trade season sent the league into a whirlwind in late June and early July. They've gone from a young, up-and-coming playoff team to a championship contender in a matter of weeks.

The Rockets started the offseason with a major splash, trading for Kevin Durant back in late June. The trade was made official yesterday, but during that time in between the agreement and the deal being official, Houston acquired veterans Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela as well.

Finney-Smith was a separate signing, while Capela was included in the seven-team deal for Durant as a sign-and-trade from the Atlanta Hawks. After negotiating, all deals have been made official, and the Rockets can now formally welcome the three players.

Now that Finney-Smith and Capela are officially in Houston, unofficial contract details have been released. HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported that Finney-Smith's four-year, $53 million contract is fully guaranteed in the first two seasons, non-guaranteed in the third season, and includes a fourth-year player option.

Finney-Smith is estimated to make around $12.3 million for the 2025-26 season, according to Spotrac. The Rockets used the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign him. After all the moves Houston made, including trading Cam Whitmore, the team is over the luxury tax but under the first apron, avoiding any penalties that come with it.

As for Capela, his specifics are not yet official, but the expectation is that his and Finney-Smith's contracts are ascending due to the rising salary cap. The Rockets, as well as the rest of the NBA, are doing anything they can to avoid apron penalties.

Capela is estimated to make around $6.8 million for the 2025-26 season, which would get up to $7.5 million for the 2027-28 season, according to Spotrac. His contract totals $21.1 million with a five percent trade kicker, according to Scotto.

Houston already has two prominent centers in the form of Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams, but the league has seen an increase of 'double-big' lineups, so Capela could still play good minutes at the five with Sengun at the four.

Finney-Smith and Capela should be extremely impactful off the bench, with Finney-Smith helping fix Houston's shooting struggles while both improve an already-elite defense.


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Jed Katz
JED KATZ

Jed is a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison majoring in journalism. He also contributes at several other basketball outlets, including has his own basketball blog and podcast — The Sixth Man Report.