The Houston Rockets will not extend Clint Capela

The Houston Rockets have decided to not extend Clint Capela before the deadline.

According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Clint Capela will not be in for a payday this offseason. Capela will become a restricted free agent next summer when the Rockets have a little more cap space.

Capela will likely earn a huge raise next summer after becoming a staple in the offense and defense of the Rockets. With Chris Paul on the team this season, Clint is bound to have a career year.

Current contract

Currently, Clint Capela is a steal for Houston. He is still on his rookie-scale contract of $7 million per year. That is a bargain for how much value he brings to the Rockets.

With an incredible free agent class next summer that includes the likes of LeBron James, it is necessary to keep all the cap space possible available. Guaranteeing Capela money through an extension would limit the money that the Rockets can use to go after stars.

With extension deadline to pass, Rockets' Clint Capela will be restricted free agent after season https://t.co/zA3Ej5T8qU via @houstonchron

— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) October 16, 2017

As Dan Feldman of NBC Sports said, the Rockets have two other starters to re-sign next season (or let walk). Chris Paul and Trevor Ariza both have just one year left on their current contracts. It is a priority to re-sign CP3, but the Rockets might have to choose between Ariza and Capela. It will be a tough decision for Morey and Fertitta, that’s for sure.

Bird Rights

Thankfully for the Rockets, they have bird rights on Clint Capela. For those that do not know what this means, Bird Rights basically let the Rockets sign Capela over the salary cap. If they can get their free agency business done early, then the Rockets will be able to still retain Capela at the end.

More from Space City Scoop

While Bird Rights sound great, they don’t always work out for the team. An example of this was seen when Chandler Parsons left the Rockets. Houston was trying to sign then-star Chris Bosh and then re-sign Parsons using Bird Rights to go over the cap. Unfortunately, restricted free agent Parsons signed a deal with the Mavericks, giving the Rockets three days to match it or let him go. The Rockets could not get a deal done with Bosh in time for this (thanks, LeBron), so they let the Mavs sign Chandler. As you probably know, Houston never ended up getting Bosh.

Hopefully, this time around the Rockets can run the process a little smoother.

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