Ranking Rafael Stone’s 4 best moves as Houston Rockets GM

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General Manager Neil Olshey of the Portland Trail Blazers speaks with General Manager Rafael Stone of the Houston Rockets (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /

When former Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey stepped down on October 1st, 2020, he left the franchise in a tough situation. The Rockets had poor cap space, no draft capital, and an aging and disgruntled roster.

The franchise, after years of winning at the highest level, had exhausted itself, and Morey. For the first time in 13 years, the Rockets would be under new leadership.

Related Story. Rafael Stone is using Daryl Morey’s playbook

After all the high profile playoff failures the Rockets could have looked outside of the organization to find a new general manager, but instead chose to promote from within. Rafael Stone, after having been with the franchise since 2005, was handed the reins and promoted to general manager.

Rafael Stone was dealt a tough hand

The environment that Stone entered was toxic with the Rockets’ two superstars, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, wanting out. Not to mention the franchise had few upcoming draft picks and was well above the salary cap.

It’s fair to say that Stone was dealt the worst hand possible but he has been able to handle the adversity and make lemonade from lemons with smart deals and long-term critical thinking. Here are the four best moves he’s made as Houston Rockets General Manager.

Next: Stone's 4th best move

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