In a new Q&A with Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Rockets GM Daryl Morey says the February trade of Clint Capela for Robert Covington makes the team better positioned for moves in the offseason.
“That trade at the deadline is going to set us up as we move forward to add a significant player this offseason, for example,” Morey told Feigen.
Our [trade] deadline really set us up well. Not only did we shoot for a better structure of our core players, that they fit together better, but also allowed us to be more flexible going forward to add players that we think overall as we allocate our player spending. We were over-weighted at the five spot. This opens up ability to spend at other spots.
New #Rockets at #TXSN – Q&A: Daryl Morey on Rockets' title window, responding to critics, keeping Mike D'Antoni https://t.co/Q10mnc6ju6
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) April 1, 2020
Morey made a similar comment earlier in the week in a Facebook Q&A with fans. “We will have full Mid-Level [Exception] available, one of the advantages of our trade deadline,” he wrote.
The full Mid-Level Exception — which, if used, hard caps teams at the NBA’s luxury tax apron level — allowed teams to offer contracts starting at roughly $9.3 million last offseason. The various financial levels for the 2020-21 league year have yet to be established.
Besides being a more versatile player for Houston’s well-documented switch to a smaller lineup, Covington ($12.1 million) also has a reduced 2020-21 salary figure relative to Capela ($17.5 million). That gap might make it more feasible for the Rockets to stay below the apron level.
It’s worth noting that if the NBA cannot resume its 2019-20 season following its current coronavirus (COVID-19) hiatus, that could lessen the league’s basketball revenues for this year. In turn, that would lower the NBA’s team salary thresholds for the 2020-21 season.
The Rockets are in the same boat as the Sixers. If the NBA & union can't agree on artificially inflated 2020-21 cap/tax figures, & given Fertitta's disproportionately dire financial situation (vs other NBA owners) right now, there could be disastrous consequences for the Rockets. https://t.co/Nx5xMV6cqX
— David Weiner (@BimaThug) March 30, 2020
In such a scenario, the Rockets might be closer to the luxury tax and the apron level than currently anticipated, which could complicate their ability to use the full Mid-Level Exception (MLE).
But for now, the Morey and the Rockets appear optimistic that the 2019-20 season can be salvaged, and that — along with the Covington trade — might also bolster their ability to make a larger addition in the offseason.
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