Written by Tim Cato at SB Nation.com
Nene and the Houston Rockets have agreed to a three-year, $11 million deal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Nene had originally agreed to a four-year deal worth $15 million on Saturday, but the deal was nixed because the league’s new over-38 rule. In that rule, players cannot be signed to contracts longer than three years if the deal would extend to or past their 38th birthday.
H-Town Let’s do this!!!! 🚀🚀🚀🚀 🏆🏆🏆
— Nene Hilario (@NeneHilario42) July 2, 2017
Once the original deal was off, the 34-year-old Nene originally wasn’t interested in losing that extra money and reconsidered his options on the open market. However, he ultimately came back to Houston, re-signing with them at a three-year rate which was about the same as his four-year one, just without the extra year.
Nene is a perfect fit for the Rockets, providing them a reliable, veteran backup center who’s one of the league’s best finishers around the rim. In last year’s playoffs, Nene just about single-handedly won Game 4 for Houston in the first round against Oklahoma City, going 12-of-12 from the field with 28 points and 10 rebounds. When Nene suffered a season-ending thigh injury in Game 4 against the Spurs, it was a huge blow for Houston, who saw Clint Capela struggle in his absence.
Houston may have surpassed San Antonio with the addition of Chris Paul, although only time and a possible playoff rematch can really say that for sure. Regardless, Nene is a quality addition.
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