Rockets' Updated Roster, Salary Cap After Reported Capela, DFS Contracts, Durant Trade

It's been a busy offseason for the Houston Rockets so far.

After trading for Kevin Durant earlier this month, the team landed free agent forward Dorian Finney-Smith on Monday, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

Houston also added some depth to the paint, signing Clint Capela to a three-year, $21.5 million deal, per Charania.

Per Spotrac, the Rockets were $50.6 million over the cap before the addition of Finney-Smith, but ESPN's Bobby Marks noted that Finney-Smith's contract comes out of the $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

According to Cap Sheets' Yossi Gozlan, the mid-level exception isn't enough to cover Capela's contract, meaning a sign-and-trade could be on the way for either him or Finney-Smith.

Here's a look at the Rockets updated roster with Finney-Smith now in the mix:

• PG: Fred VanVleet, Aaron Holiday
• SG: Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, Cam Whitmore
• SF: Tari Eason, Dorian Finney-Smith, Jae'Sean Tate
• PF: Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Jeff Green
• C: Alperen Sengun, Clint Capela, Steven Adams, Jock Landale

Finney-Smith has been a great role player for most of his career and put up 8.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and nearly a steal per game between his time with the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers last season. The 10-year veteran had surgery to address an ankle issue this offseason, so he should come into the 2025-26 campaign healthy and ready to make an impact.

Finney-Smith will presumably come off the bench for the Rockets and should be a solid contributor behind Durant.

Capela, who played for Houston from 2014 until 2020, rejoins the team after a five-year stint with the Atlanta Hawks. While he's not quite as productive as he was during his first stint with the Rockets, he still put up 8.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and a block per game last year.

The Rockets, who spent much of the last five years rebounding from James Harden's exit in 2020, have managed to rebuild quickly. After just missing the postseason in 2023-24, Houston went 52-30 last season, its best finish since 2018-19, and claimed the second-best record in the West.

Their season ultimately came to an end in the first round with a loss to the Golden State Warriors in seven games, but last season was a good indicator that Houston was on its way to being a playoff team for years to come.

Trading for Durant only expedited the process, and now the Rockets are a team to watch to come out of the West this season.

Having already secured Durant before the brunt of the offseason, Houston is now looking to bolster the roster around him. Adding role players like Finney-Smith and Capela is a good start.