Complete 2018 NBA offseason grades for all 30 teams
Houston Rockets
Key additions: De’Anthony Melton (draft), Vincent Edwards (draft), Michael Carter-Williams (free agency), James Ennis (free agency), Carmelo Anthony (free agency)
Key subtractions: Trevor Ariza (free agency), Luc Mbah a Moute (free agency)
On the long list of what-ifs for Chris Paul‘s career and this current Houston Rockets regime, “What if Chris Paul hadn’t gotten hurt in Game 5 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals” has to rank at the top … especially with this most recent offseason in mind.
To be clear, the Rockets are still a top-two team in the West, and are probably the only one truly capable of challenging the Warriors for conference supremacy. But for Golden State-obsessed GM Daryl Morey, it’s hard to say he accomplished his goal of closing the gap on the Dubs. If anything, that chasm grew larger, which makes CP3’s recent playoff injury loom that much larger.
Houston accomplished its two biggest items on the summer check list by re-signing Chris Paul and Clint Capela, the latter of which was signed to a major discount thanks to a tight market that never came through with a max offer. But even if keeping Paul was vital to keeping Houston’s championship window propped open, it’s hard to feel good about paying him $160 million through his age-36 season.
Even worse, two of the team’s most important wing defenders in Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute bounced this summer. The Rockets were just fine without both last year, but it’s hard to feel good about replacing them with James Ennis and Michael Carter-Williams — the most non-Daryl Morey player Daryl Morey has ever acquired.
De’Anthony Melton could wind up being a huge draft steal, and Carmelo Anthony should fit much better in this Mike D’Antoni system than the last time around (or last year in OKC). However, he’s not the piece to push Houston past the Warriors, and this summer comes with both short-term and long-term ramifications for a team who may never clear that Golden State hurdle now.
Grade: C-