The Rockets entered last offseason believing Kevin Durant could be the final piece. Instead, they may already be staring at an uncomfortable question: how long does this fit really last?
When Phoenix sent Durant to Houston, the idea was simple enough. The Rockets were young, and Durant brought the kind of elite scoring that could change the shape of their offense. He looked like the kind of star who could settle things down and lift them into true contention.
That is not how the year played out.
Houston opened fast and looked like a real championship threat early on, but the second half turned messy. The post-All-Star break stretch brought turmoil and rumors of a fractured locker room, tied to an alleged burner account that was ran by Durant and was said to have trashed teammates. Whether that account was actually his or not, the Rockets never fully recovered from the damage around it.
The end came in ugly fashion. Houston fell behind 3-0 to a badly depleted Lakers team in the first round, and even though Durant missed most of that series, the finish still landed as a disappointment.
Now there’s a real possibility the partnership breaks apart sooner than expected.
There have already been whispers about Houston exploring major roster changes, but the club was not involved in the Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown sweepstakes, which makes a blockbuster move seem unlikely. If the Rockets stumble again and come out of the gate slowly, the noise around the roster will only get louder.
And with Durant, that kind of situation has history.
In Golden State, tensions with Draymond Green created awkward vibes that lingered through the rest of the season before Durant left the next summer. In Brooklyn, he grew unhappy and pushed his way to Phoenix. In Phoenix, he never really developed a serious rapport with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, and there were reports that he was distant from the team.
That pattern is hard to ignore.
None of it changes what Durant still is as a player. He remains one of the sport’s best, an all-time great who still impacts winning at a huge level.
But if Houston wants this to work, the Rockets and Durant both have some soul searching to do. There have to be honest conversations with leadership and teammates, because otherwise this could end the same way so many of Durant’s stops have ended before: with him forcing his way off another team.
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