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Tim MacMahon: Rockets C Alperen Sengun (back) is out vs. Lakers tonight, per Ime Udoka. Clint Capela will get the start and match up with Deandre Ayton.
Where the media sees a wall with Westbrook, teammates see a bridge. Many players who have played alongside him cite him as their favorite teammate ever and someone who brought people together. Clint Capela, who was with Westbrook for only 35 games, is one of them. He called Russ "the most genuine superstar" that he’s ever played with. "Very happy person. Very nice guy," Capela told me. "Always smiling, always joking around. I was like wow, I never thought that a superstar could also be that great of a guy."
Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton raised eyebrows this week when he was heard saying in the Lakers locker room his team is "trying to make me Clint Capela." Those remarks have indeed gotten back to Capela. The Houston Rockets center took a playful shot at Ayton Thursday night via his Instagram story. Sharing an ESPN post that contained Ayton's comments, Capela wrote "U got 2 of the best floor general in the game my dawg Lockinnn" and included two crying from laughter emojis.
When he was finished speaking to the group, Ayton made his way back toward the showers and said what he really felt -- loud enough for anyone still in the locker room to hear. "They're trying to make me Clint Capela," Ayton said, referring to the Houston Rockets' now backup center, who a decade ago made his impact as a lob-catching, rim-running big on a team that made it to two conference finals. "I'm not no Clint Capela!"
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Houston, according to team sources, has had discussions with around half the league — with more incoming and outgoing calls expected over the next 10 days as the Feb. 5 trade deadline draws closer — but doesn't have any firm offer in either direction that is cause for serious internal discussion. What they do have is an understanding of what they are willing to do and an inkling of what teams want. For instance, the Rockets received a number of calls surrounding Tari Eason prior to him becoming a starter, sources say — as well as inquiries on summer additions Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela — but nothing, as mentioned earlier, was concrete.
Udoka’s coaching style differs from Mike D’Antoni’s, too. “Ime is more, he shows us what he wants. He will not give it to you easy,” Capela said, smiling. “Every game we lose, the team’s gonna remember that, you know, it was a fight. I just feel Ime really has that fighting mentality.”
“I feel like this team has something here again that can allow us to go forward and win,” Capela said. “This is what made the choice to come here. I wanted to feel that again, to be on the team where we have all the tools to make it happen.”
But Fred VanVleet still has a no-trade clause because of the two-year deal he signed, Kelly. So my question for you is: Fred has a $25 million deal — that’s a very tradable number — but he has the no-trade clause. Do you have any indication or any insight into whether he’d be willing to waive that no-trade clause? Because that would be the piece they’d want to move, right?" Kelly Iko: "Yeah — not at this time. I don’t. I think it’s still pretty raw in their minds. I talked to them the other day, and they said, 'Look, this is the bed that we made. If we’re going into the season, these are the guys we’re going to battle with.' Come December, you might have different conversations. Clint Capela is making a team-friendly salary — you could see something happen with that. But outside of that, these are the guys they want in the rotation. Ime Udoka specifically handcrafted this roster, right? His identity is length, versatility, and size on the perimeter. You’ve got Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Okogie, guys like Jae’Sean Tate — you want to have as many of those guys as possible.
Smith will also start his fourth NBA season playing alongside a group of new teammates after the Rockets added superstar forward Kevin Durant, forward Dorian Finney-Smith and center Clint Capela this offseason. “I’m excited, honestly, just to see what we can do, the heights we can reach, just growing together, meeting new teammates,” Smith said. “I’m just overly excited.”
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Michael Scotto: Update: Clint Capela’s three-year, $21.1 million deal with the Houston Rockets includes a five percent trade kicker, league sources told @hoopshype.
Adam Wexler: Official: #Rockets announced the 7-team trade to acquire Kevin Durant & Clint Capela w/ Atlanta, Brooklyn, Golden State, the LA Lakers, Minnesota & Phoenix. Details below plus comments from GM Rafael Stone & HC Ime Udoka on Durant & outgoing Jalen Green & Dillon Brooks.
Official: #Rockets announced the 7-team trade to acquire Kevin Durant & Clint Capela w/ Atlanta, Brooklyn, Golden State, the LA Lakers, Minnesota & Phoenix. Details below plus comments from GM Rafael Stone & HC Ime Udoka on Durant & outgoing Jalen Green & Dillon Brooks. pic.twitter.com/dtjkbJRk8b
— Adam Wexler (@AdamJWexler) July 6, 2025
Kevin Chouinard: Statement from Onsi Saleh on the seven-team trade that sent Clint Capela to Houston:
Statement from Onsi Saleh on the seven-team trade that sent Clint Capela to Houston: pic.twitter.com/9jJz57Sp3Y
— Kevin Chouinard (@KLChouinard) July 6, 2025
Shams Charania: Phoenix: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming, Koby Brea, Daeqwon Plowden, 2nd. Houston: Kevin Durant, Clint Capela. Brooklyn: 2 2nds. Golden State: Alex Toohey, Jahmai Mashack. Atlanta: 2nd swap, David Roddy, cash. Lakers: Adou Thiero. Minnsota: Rocco Zikarsky, 2 2nds, cash. Terms of the first ever NBA trade involving seven teams.
