Chris Paul Officially Re-Signs with Rockets; Clint Capela Remains a Free Agent

The Houston Rockets and general manager Daryl Morey announced that Chris Paul re-signed with the team Sunday, per NBA.com.

As Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reported on July 1, Paul re-upped with the Rockets on a four-year, $160 million max extension.

Paul was one of the team's three major free agents this offseason. Trevor Ariza signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Phoenix Suns, while restricted free-agent center Clint Capela remains unsigned.

The free-agent market for centers became virtually non-existent once the Dallas Mavericks signed DeAndre Jordan to a one-year, $24.1 million deal. All-Star DeMarcus Cousins only got the taxpayer midlevel exception ($5.3 million deal) from the Golden State Warriors. Capela, to this point, hasn't signed any offer sheets, and the Rockets are likely to match any deal he receives. 

Capela, 24, almost certainly would have received a lucrative offer sheet in a more vibrant market. He averaged 13.9 points, 10.8 points and 1.9 blocks per game, offering a rim-running lob-finisher for James Harden in the pick-and-roll and a rim-protector on the defensive end. But with free agency in general operating as a buyer's market, Capela has yet to receive a major offer.

As for Paul, the 33-year-point guard was a huge addition for the Rockets last season, averaging 18.6 points, 7.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds. He led the Houston Rockets to the Western Conference Finals, where they took a 3-2 lead on the Golden State Warriors.

Paul was injured late in Game 5, however, and was unable to play the remainder of the series. The Warriors won Games 6 and 7, though there's an argument to be made that the Rockets would have advanced had Paul not been lost.

Regardless, the Rockets remain one of the few hopes to end Golden State's run of three titles in four years. The trio of Harden, Paul and Capela—should he re-sign in Houston, which seems more and more likely as his free agency stretches onward—give the Rockets serious title aspirations for the foreseeable future.