Houston Rockets are Early Free Agency Winners

NBA free agency opened on Monday, allowing teams to sign new players in hopes of making a title run in the 2025-26 season.

The opening of free agency didn’t bring any seismic, star-alining moves for teams at the highest level. But it did see numerous role players land in new spots.

Two of those were Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela, both of which landed with the Houston Rockets.

As has been reported for a day or so, Finney-Smith was the first domino to fall for Houston. The team landed the wing on a four-year, $53 million deal, cementing an essential Dillon Brooks replacement after shipping him off in the Kevin Durant deal.

The long-term deal is a small surprise for a 32-year-old, but it certainly makes sense for the team to lock in a valuable piece for the foreseeable future. Finney-Smith adds plenty on the wing, including stingy defense, and solid 3-point shooting, having shot 36% for his career on great volume. Most recently, he shot 40% for the Lakers.

The biggest surprise was the re-addition of Capela, who joined Houston on three-year, $21.5 million contract.

Drafted No. 25 overall in 2014, Capela spent the first six seasons of his NBA career in Houston, anchoring the James Harden-led Rockets with rim-running at the five. He’s spent the last five doing the same for Trae Young and the Hawks, but now re-joins the Rockets ready to add a drastically different look in the front court.

Having retained Steven Adams — and still employing first-time All-Star Alperen Sengun — the addition of Capela was somewhat puzzling for Houston. But with real athleticism and play-finishing ability, the big man adds yet another layer of versatility to a roster that now has it in bounds.

In adding Finney-Smith and Capela Monday, the Rockets solidified themselves as an elite roster, one of the winners of free agency, as an eventual title contender.

There's still plenty of moves to be made in free agency, but it's hard not to see Houston near the top of the list of teams who got better Monday.