Give up Durant, Rockets operations detonate the league, and the championship puzzle is expected to stay in the team

When the Houston Rockets stopped in the first round, the outside world was full of doubts about the upper limit of this young team. Can the combination of Jaylen Green and Shin Kyung help the team become the contender for the championship? At the same time, many ESPN reporters are also actively making suggestions, hoping that General Manager Raphael Stone can rush young players and pursue a star player to join, and Kevin Durant undoubtedly became the first choice.

However, even though the Rockets have good bargaining chips, the management still thinks twice, considering Adu's age and the team's salary level, and even the price they paid in the transaction negotiations. Compared to expending a lot of energy and resources to pursue star players, striving to maintain the stability and continuity of the lineup seems to be a wiser and ideal choice for the Rockets. This has always been the core point that Rockets general manager Raphael Stone repeatedly emphasized.

Looking back at the Rockets and Golden State Warriors' series, center Steven Adams' performance still left a deep impression on fans and team executives. You should know that in the seven games of the intense playoffs, Adams averaged more than 22 minutes of playing time, 9 minutes more than in the regular season, and the data level has been greatly improved. He can contribute 5.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 0.4 steals per game, and his shooting percentage is as high as 60%. The most important thing is that the double tower lineup formed by him and Shin Kyung has brought great trouble to the Warriors' tactical arrangement, which makes the Warriors feel uncomfortable when dealing with it, forcing head coach Cole to increase the team's height in the offseason, which is enough to show the role Adams plays in key games and the tactical status and trust given by the coaching staff.

Because of this, staying Adams has become the first move that the Rockets need to focus on this summer, and its priority is even far higher than introducing a star player. After all, if the Rockets expect to continue to use the double tower tactics next season, then Adams will definitely complete the contract renewal with the Rockets as soon as possible. James Pierce, a famous NBA expert, proposed after in-depth research and analysis that the Rockets should sign a one-year short contract with Adams. He fully demonstrated how outstanding the combination of Adams and Shin Kyung is by listing a large amount of detailed and persuasive data. The final conclusion was that Adams' salary this season reached $12.6 million, a figure close to the level of the middle class exception.

And the Rockets need to make a cautious trade-off between increasing combat power and maintaining flexibility in pay space, so they re-signed a new $12.8 million a year with the 31-year-old veteran. Considering all aspects comprehensively, it seems to be a wise choice that can achieve a win-win situation.

It seems more reasonable to see that the Rockets' offer salary increases instead of falling, after all, this veteran plays an important role in the team. But general manager Stone did not bet on the center who had experienced serious injuries, and signing a short contract will also help the team maintain the flexibility of cap space in the future. Therefore, the performance next season will depend on whether Adams will live to bed.

If Adams performs well next season and is in excellent form, the Rockets are fully capable and willing to provide Adams with a stronger contract next summer; otherwise, the management will give up decisively. Compared to hollowing out the family's assets and pursuing super giants to maintain the core lineup, finding key role players is undoubtedly the wisest decision.