As the Houston Rockets made the splash move of acquiring Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns, their extension of emerging forward Jabari Smith Jr. this offseason may have gone somewhat under the radar.
Yet, from an organization perspective, this move has massive implications insofar as it allowed the team to prevent a potentially disastrous negotiation process in restricted free agency for Smith, suggesting they may have learned a lesson from their rival's Jonathan Kuminga predicament.
The Golden State Warriors, this offseason, have been financially handicapped by their handling of the Kuminga situation, and, now, as they await a resolution, the rest of the league has moved on without them in free agency.