The 2018 online NBA betting offseason is well underway. While plenty of storylines have already come to a close, like LeBron James’ decision to head to Los Angeles and the Golden State Warriors bringing in another All-Star to carry the load, there is one storyline which has yet to reach its denouement. And it just happens to involve Clint Capela and the Houston Rockets. Specifically, sports betting players want to know what the Rockets will decide to do. But since Capela is a restricted free agent, it seems that the franchise is more than willing to take it’s time.
Ultimately, this is because they have the ability to do so. Since Capela is restricted, they’ll have the right to match any offer an NBA team throws at Capela. And while Capela could theoretically sign overseas to get out of this conundrum, it doesn’t look like the veteran is remotely interested in taking a pay cut. With that in mind, let’s take a look at this Clint Capela and the Houston Rockets ordeal.
Are Clint Capela and the Houston Rockets Falling out?
For those out of the loop, the restricted free agent status only applies to NBA newcomers. Specifically, those players who have less than 4-year experience in the NBA. Since Capela fits that bill, it seems to be affecting him quite a bit.
So what’s the problem with being restricted? Well, it essentially restricts your options, especially for those players who aren’t stars but are still considered great team assets. For these kinds of players, Capela included, being restricted severely limits your ability to get a max contract. Max contracts are extremely appealing because of the perks they offer, like a large sum of guaranteed money or a hefty signing bonus. But since Capela is restricted, it’s looking like he’ll be settling for his $4.7 million qualifying offer.
If this is the case, online NBA betting players can expect Capela to head elsewhere next season. Since he’ll be unrestricted, you can bet Capela will be looking to get a nice paycheck. Granted, the Rockets winning the NBA title might change Capela’s mind. But all in all, that seems like an extremely unlikely scenario.
The real online betting issue for the Rockets isn’t losing Capela this season. Rather, it’s losing him next season. Right now Houston has Harden, Chris Paul and Eric Gordon. While Capela is obviously more valuable than Gordon, the Rockets have too much leverage over Capela to give into his demands. However, one could argue that giving Capela a large contract and a good amount of money would guarantee he stays with Houston post-2018. Unfortunately for Capela, it doesn’t look like that will happen.
Too Little too Late for Capela
The reason Capela will not likely be receiving any large payouts is because of the current free agent landscape. Or rather, the lack of remaining cap space around the league. Out of all the potential landing spots for Capela, the Sacramento Kings are the lone remaining team who has any sort of cap space. And while they have some space left over after signing Nemanja Bjelica and Yogi Ferrell, that $11 million left over in cap space isn’t enough to woo Capela. In conclusion, there’s no team out there who can give Capela what he wants, including Houston. At the beginning we said that the Rockets can match any offer Capela receives. But now, it’s clear that the Rockets will be the only team offering Capela something. And if it’s not something he likes, you can bank on him walking next season.
