Houston Rockets: 3 takeaways from the 2018 offseason

(Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
(Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
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Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

The Houston Rockets have not had a particularly busy offseason, but they remain one of the best teams in the Western Conference.

After finishing with a 65-17 record and the first seed in the Western Conference, this offseason for the Houston Rockets has been about keeping their team together to take another shot at the Golden State Warriors next season. The club has committed itself to its core of players and tried to put championship-caliber role players around them.

When it became clear that LeBron James was not interested in becoming a member of the Rockets, the team’s first order of business was re-signing point guard Chris Paul. The Rockets gave Paul a $160 million deal over the course of four years to ensure that Paul remains with the team until through the 2021-22 season.

The Rockets received a bit of a surprise when forwards Trevor Ariza and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute both decided to pursue free agency and sign with other teams. The team reacted by adding Michael Carter-Williams and James Ennis to fill their roster spots. Let’s discuss some of the team’s other moves they’ve made this offseason and what we’ve learned from these decisions.