Report: Rafael Stone returning for fourth season as Rockets general manager

After three rebuilding seasons, the future of Houston Rockets head coach Stephen Silas is clearly in question. That doesn’t appear to be the case, however, for general manager Rafael Stone.

Previously second in command to Daryl Morey, Stone took over his role in October 2020 once Morey stepped down (weeks before accepting the lead position in Philadelphia). While Houston’s record has been the NBA’s worst over that span, Stone chose to pivot to a rebuilding movement prioritizing youth and draft assets following the forced departure of superstar James Harden in January 2021.

Buy Rockets Tickets

Though Stone’s Rockets have often been hard to watch, those lowly results are generally understandable within the rebuilding context and accompanying roster construction. Thus, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Stone will return in 2023-24 for a fourth season as the lead basketball operations executive. From the story:

General manager Rafael Stone is certain to lead the next steps, despite rumors that had been planted in recent months and picked up through Final Four weekend.

Feigen did not reference any potential source of those planted rumors, though they appear to have been inaccurate.

“General manager Rafael Stone is certain to lead the next steps, despite rumors that had been planted in recent months and picked up through Final Four weekend” https://t.co/8pVgX2htDc

— Adam Abramson (@Adam_Abramson1) April 4, 2023

Houston’s massive salary cap room in the 2023 offseason (about $60 million) combined with continued development by young prospects like Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. and an influx of future draft capital from Brooklyn have always been among the pillars of Stone’s rebuilding plan. Thus, it makes sense that he is able to see that plan through for at least one season with cap room.

Time will tell as to whether the Rockets reach the same conclusion with Silas, who is responsible for the day-to-day development of those prospects. Further clarification could come after Houston’s 2022-23 regular season ends on Sunday in Washington.