The signing was reached, congratulations to the Rockets! 8 transactions in 15 days and 390 million yuan were spent. The new lineup of Houston was released

The signing was reached, congratulations to the Rockets! Houston completed 8 signing transactions in 15 days, spent 391 million yuan to retain core players and successfully signed Durant. Durant led the Rockets' new championship lineup to be released. General Manager Stone's series of operations are amazing!

Text|Lao Kankanqiu

Editor|Lao Kankanqiu

"Use the team's future to exchange for outdated lottery" or "Gambling to achieve the God-winning operation"? Rockets general manager Rafael Stone completed 8 transaction signing operations in 15 days, spending 391 million US dollars. Looking forward to the answer given by Houston's new lineup in the new season.

Obviously, when the Rockets suffered the Black Seven in the first round of the playoffs as the second in the West last season and lost to the Warriors and regretted it, General Manager Stone had already begun to quietly plan the offseason reinforcement work. With the finals coming to an end, the Rockets quickly became the busiest "new trading battlefield" in the NBA in the past 15 days.

So, what operations did the Rockets complete?

✔ Heavy signings (1): The transaction was given to Durant (Jaylen Green + Dillon Brooks + 2025 No. 10 + 5 second round picks, and a two-year contract renewal contract worth up to US$112 million)

✔ Core renewal (3): Smith (5 years, 122 million US dollars), Adams (3 years, 39 million US dollars), Uduka (extended contract, annual salary of US$10 million)

✔ Keep puzzle (4): VanVleet (50 million US dollars in 2 years), Tate (24 million US dollars in 3 years), Holiday & Jeff Green

First of all, the Rockets' signing of Durant is the finishing touch of the entire team's transaction. Although Durant is 37 years old and has suffered a serious injury from a ruptured Achilles tendon, his historical scoring ability is still the most powerful weapon needed by the Rockets, the young army of the Rockets, especially the hard-solving ability at critical moments. It can be said that it is the most powerful upgrade of the Rockets' lineup. Last season, Durant averaged 26.6 points per game and shot up to 43% from three-pointers, perfectly solving the problem of weak scores at critical moments in the playoffs.

, and Houston management firmly believes in the fit between Durant and this Rockets, and the current starting core framework surfaces: Van Vleet, Amen Thompson, Durant, Smith Jr., and Shin Kyung. This lineup has an average height of more than 2.03 meters and has unlimited defense switching capabilities. Durant's joining not only provides the ability to solve the key ball, but also liberates Shin Kyung's support talent and Smith's spatial attributes, forming a multi-dimensional offensive system.

With Durant's joining, the NBA officially ranked the Rockets as the top three favorites in the Western Conference, which indirectly confirmed the value of its lineup upgrade. According to US media The Athletic, the team firmly believes that the cooperation with Durant is long-term and plans to renew a two-year, $122 million maximum salary contract with him after the transaction officially takes effect in July.

Secondly, Jabbarri Smith Jr. was renewed in advance for 122 million yuan in five years, and fully guaranteed the option of no team/player, locking the 22-year-old forward until the 2030-31 season, with a very cost-effective performance. As the 2022 Tanhua Show, Smith Jr. averaged 12.2 points and 7 rebounds per game last season. Although the data is not dazzling, his defensive ability built with a height of 2.11 meters and a 2.16 wingspan, coupled with a 34.1% three-point shooting percentage, perfectly adapts to the needs of modern forwards. With Durant, he is simply Houston's new "forward king combination".

Finally, 50 million yuan was re-signed by Van Vleet in 2 years, cleverly avoiding its original 44.9 million team option, saving the Rockets more than 14.1 million yuan in salary space, making the team more flexible in strengthening operations; while 39 million yuan in three years, retaining substitute center Steven Adams ensured the team's top offensive rebounding efficiency in the league, and continued the "double high" combination with Shin Kyung.

So far, the Rockets' core championship lineup for the new season has basically been released: the starting five tigers consisted of Durant, Shinkin, Van Vleet, Jabarry Smith Jr., and Amen Thompson, and the strong substitute lineup composed of Adams, Shepard, Ethan, Whitmore, Tate, Holiday and Jeff Green, has jumped from the Western Conference rookie to the most powerful contender for the championship, becoming the biggest winner in the offseason trading market.

In addition, as Lakers' high-quality 3D defensive champion Finney Smith has rejected the $11.5 million player option next season and becomes a free agent, the Rockets have begun to pursue active pursuits again. According to Yossi Gozlan, a US media salary expert, the Rockets can provide Finney Smith with a full middle-class special case worth $14.1 million. If you choose to sign first and then exchange, the Rockets can provide the latter with a larger contract renewal.

" Some bets require courage, and courage comes from the desire for a championship!" Rockets general manager Stone responded when asked about a series of recent signing transaction goals in the media, "We have always been aware of the vacancy in the lineup and will continue to contact other free agents in the future. After the summer league began in early July, our "offseason" will really begin!"