Three people earn 52 million! The Rockets create a super luxury inside line and challenge the top three in the Western Conference, Stone makes a desperate bet

On August 22, we have seen that the Rockets' salary next season has exceeded the luxury tax trigger line, and they are still more than 1 million US dollars away from reaching the first rich line, so this is also the reason why the Rockets are no longer signing new players. Because once the Rockets sign any player with a formal NBA contract, their total salary will trigger the first hard salary cap and they will pay more luxury taxes.

The Rockets are indeed no longer stingy compared to before, but he is unwilling to ask Fertita to spend a lot of money to build the Rockets' luxurious lineup. After all, the Rockets have not been tested yet. Although this new lineup looks powerful, it needs to be tested in the regular season and playoffs to see how good the quality and combat power are.

If there is hope, Fertita may increase his investment; if after Durant comes, the Rockets' overall record and strength do not advance but retreat, I'm sorry, the Rockets may not sign a new contract with Durant at all. However, the Rockets really want to do something now, especially after experiencing a crushing defeat in the playoffs last season, the Rockets want to challenge stronger opponents.

At present, the Warriors have fallen behind, while the Nuggets, Thunder and Clippers all have super luxurious lineups and top-notch insiders. We also saw that the Clippers have star center Zubac, and they also introduced power forward Collins; as for the Thunder, they have double Taholmgren and Haltenstein. As the third core, Holtenstein got a maximum salary renewal contract this summer, Haltenstein also received a generous contract, and the two inside gates helped the Thunder win the NBA championship last season; and in addition to having super center and MVP Jokic, the Nuggets also introduced tall center Valanciunas as Jokic's first substitute this summer.

So, if the Rockets want to challenge the Western Conference's top three, they must make efforts from the inside. So this summer, the Rockets not only signed free agent Clint Capela, but also left 31-year-old center Adams with a new three-year and 39 million contract.

And Alperen Shinkyung, the star center, will also begin to execute his new contract next season. Next season, Shinkyung's annual salary will reach about 32 million, Adams is 13 million, and Capela is close to 7 million. The salary of the three center players is about 52 million, which is equivalent to the salary of Durant, the superstar. It can be said that the Rockets want to create a super luxurious inside line. In addition to the three centers, Rockets' Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson can also play in the center position.

The interior is becoming more and more important now. Although the Rockets did not perform well in the playoffs last season was the outside, the first thing to do was to build the inside into a luxurious lineup and compete with the inside of the Western Conference's top three, the Rockets have the spare time to develop the overall strength of the outside. In fact, after the Rockets' outside line has received Durant, Finney Smith and Okogie, their mid-range and three-point shooting abilities have been improved rapidly, and Shepard will be reused next season. If he can replicate his offensive performance at the University of Kentucky, the Rockets' outside line will be no longer a problem.

So, the reason why Manager Stone spent 52 million to build a super luxurious center position is to make a desperate bet, challenge the top three in the Western Conference, and break through the powerful Western Conference, advance to the finals, and then win the O'Brien Golden Cup.