The Houston Rockets might have a big decision to make next summer.
Over the past couple of years, the Rockets have steadily ascended into one of the top tiers of the NBA, earning the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference last season. After years of being stuck in the lottery and praying their young talent would pan out, the Rockets are finally back in the spotlight and ready to contend after making a blockbuster deal for Kevin Durant this summer.
While the Durant deal was the Rockets’ biggest move of this summer, another potential move is already being looked at as Houston’s next big summer decision in 2026. In 2024, the Rockets used the No. 3 pick they acquired via Brooklyn to take Reed Sheppard.
After a lackluster rookie season where he failed to crack the rotation, Sheppard might be in a bit of no man’s land to begin the 2025-26 season. In year two, Sheppard will need to at least prove he is a key part of the Rockets’ rotation, or he might be on the way out, as explained by FanSided’s Cem Yolbulan.
As Yolbulan wrote, the Rockets are in win-now and can’t afford to give Sheppard the same runway other top picks had before him. With the urgency of contending for a title, Yolbulan proposed the possibility that Sheppard might only have the beginning of next season to make an impression.
Considering his $10.6 million deal for next season, Sheppard was also considered a perfect midseason trade asset. With Houston no stranger to making deadline deals, Sheppard could be an ideal trade target for the right team.
Although it’s impossible to know exactly what Sheppard’s long-term future holds, he likely needs a strong start to his second season to keep that future in Houston.
