In today’s NBA, championship dreams are never far away. Patience remains a virtue, but sooner or later, teams want to expedite a push for a title and capitalize on an unpredictable league.
The Houston Rockets’ rebuild has been impressive. They were 52-30 in 2024-25, the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and owned the fourth-best record in the league. But they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the seventh-seeded Golden State Warriors.
Surveying the league, and the West specifically, the Rockets knew the status quo for 2025-26 wasn’t the answer.
So, they traded for Kevin Durant and gave the Phoenix Suns a budding young star in Jalen Green, defensive irritant in Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and five second-round picks.
The Rockets will worry about regaining draft capital later. Teams can always hit the reset button, but the championship window is not an endless opportunity.
Their goal is to win a title soon with Durant, All-Star Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams and Tari Eason.
Will that happen? No one knows that answer. The West remains loaded. The Oklahoma City Thunder aren’t going anywhere. The Minnesota Timberwolves want to win with Anthony Edwards. The Los Angeles Lakers get a full season with Luka Doncic and LeBron James. The Denver Nuggets still have three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. The Golden State Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler to make another title push with Steph Curry and Draymond Green. The Los Angeles Clippers were a 50-win team last season.
GMs are plotting. No one will be surprised with more deals between now and the draft on Wednesday, June 25. Free agency opens June 30, giving teams another chance to alter roster.
Orlando just acquired Desmond Bane. Indiana knew it needed more and traded for Pascal Siakam halfway through the 2023-24 season, and that has given the Pacers a chance. Cleveland traded for Donovan Mitchell when front-office executive Koby Altman realized his young core required help. Minnesota and the New York Knicks swapped Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle just before the 2024-25 season.
Rockets general manager Rafael Stone determined that Durant gives Houston a better chance to compete for a title. Whether it’s Oklahoma City or Indiana, this season’s champion will be the league’s seventh different champion in as many seasons. Stone knows it can easily be a different team to win it all next season, and why not the Rockets.
Durant, 15-time All-Star and 11-time All-NBA selection, turns 37 in September, and he has been limited by injuries, playing in 55 games in 2021-22, 47 in 2022-23, 75 in 2023-25 and 62 in 2024-25.
When he’s on the court, he is still one of the best players in the league. Durant, who was last was an All-NBA selection in 2023-24, averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 blocks and shot 52.7 from the field, 43% on 3-pointers and 83.9% on free throws this season. He gives the Rockets an elite reliable offensive threat, especially in half-court sets and adds championship experience to a mostly young roster.
His arrival in Houston doesn’t guarantee a title or even a Western Conference finals appearance, but it made the Rockets’ quest for a championship more fascinating.
