The Houston Rockets find themselves “stuck” with one of the NBA’s most impressive rosters, at least to start the 2025-26 season.
Seven Houston players cannot be dealt away until after December 15, per Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors. Those seven players are all summer Houston free agent signings: new additions Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela, and Josh Okogie, plus returning Rockets Fred VanVleet, Jae’Sean Tate, Jeff Green and Aaron Holiday.
Given the wealth of talent the Rockets are fielding, the personnel status may not be a bad thing.
Houston traded the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft (used on Duke center Khaman Maluach), wings Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, and five second-round draft picks to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for 15-time All-Star power forward Kevin Durant, a former MVP and one of the best scorers in league history.
Before he could hit free agency, reserve center Steven Adams inked a three-year, $39 million contract extension. It’s unclear if Adams — a solid playoff performer — will even get much playing time this season, in a talented frontcourt that includes All-Stars Durant and Alperen Sengun, former No. 3 draft pick Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason and Capela.
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All-Defensive swingman Amen Thompson is already looking like he could join Durant and Sengun on an All-Star team sooner rather than later.
Essentially, a team that went 52-30 last year and finished as the West’s No. 2 seed, fueled by the play of a young core comprising Sengun, Thompson, and Smith, has now added Kevin Durant and several other talent vets.
Houston now joins the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves as the class of the West. Assuming seasoned pros like Durant and VanVleet can stay healthy, this Rockets club has an opportunity to make its first NBA Finals since the Hakeem Olajuwon-Clyde Drexler edition in 1995.
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