The Rockets got Jackie Butler and the rights to Argentinean star Luis Scola in a trade with the Spurs, giving up a future second round pick and a guy who's not coming back to the US, Vassilis Spanoulis, who had already said he was homesick and wanted to remain in his native Greece rather than play in the NBA. So why did the Spurs do it? Simple - cap room, particularly the chance to offload Butler's contract. And the Spurs are better than anyone at recognizing a mistaken contract and getting rid of it - just ask Isiah about Malik Rose. That's why they, despite winning multiple championships, will be well under the cap and significant players in next summer's free agency, when some real players should be available.
What about Houston? Obviously they hope Scola can come to terms and give them some offense at the 4, as the trade of Juwan Howard for Mike James opened up an opportunity. And Butler looked promising a couple of years ago - who knows, he may still have something left. Houston's new GM looks like he may know what he's doing.... and the Rockets become an even more scary contender next season.
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