Rockets' Rafael Stone Draws Praise for Crafty Offseason Deal

Houston Rockets GM Rafael Stone has drawn a bevy of skepticism from naysayers. Did he get enough back in the James Harden trade in 2021? Should he have wasted first-round draft picks on Josh Christopher and TyTy Washington?

Did he get enough back for Christian Wood? Should he have let John Wall play in 2021-22? Should he have gone through with the Usman Garuba trade in 2023, even after Brook Lopez backed out?

Did he hold on to Eric Gordon for too long? And what about Kevin Porter Jr.? Should the franchise have given him such a long leash?

Lost in the criticism is the brilliance of Stone's creativity as it pertains to contract negotiations. 

Porter Jr.'s contract was an early showing, as his reported $82.5 million was only guaranteed for $15.86 million - just the first year, giving the Rockets protections, which ultimately proved pivotal for the franchise.

Stone's contract extension with Fred VanVleet was yet another example, as VanVleet's team option for 2025-26 was originally worth $46 million, yet the team restructured his contract, in favor of an additional two years worth a total of $50 million.

The Rockets' General Manager received praise from Yahoo Sports' Ben Rohrbach for the deal he struck with Dorian Finney-Smith, as the senior writer listed Finney-Smith's deal with the Rockets as the best contract of the entire offseason.

"The Rockets took a big swing at the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder, trading Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and a handful of draft picks for Kevin Durant, going all in on their quest to win the Western Conference. Durant's scoring represents a massive upgrade from Green, but the trade did leave a whole on the wing, where Brooks served as a high-level defender who could knock down shots in open space.

So, the Rockets targeted Finney-Smith, one of the best available 3-and-D role players on the market. He joins Amen Thompson and Tari Eason for what should be a ferocious defensive wing rotation.

In the process, Houston hindered the Los Angeles Lakers, a conference rival, who dealt D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks for Finney-Smith in December. The Lakers must have made that move with the intention of re-signing Finney-Smith, whose history with Luka Dončić dates back to their days on the Dallas Mavericks. But the Rockets made a more compelling offer: a shot to win a title.

The Lakers reportedly would not offer Finney-Smith a contract longer than two years, and in the end that is what the Rockets got him for, as neither of the final two years of Finney-Smith's deal is guaranteed."

All told, Finney-Smith's deal is worth $53 million over four years, with $26 million guaranteed, joining a Rockets franchise with a history of unheralded 3-and-D wings, like PJ Tucker, Trevor Ariza, Shane Battier, and more.