The Houston Rockets look built to stay in the mix next season, but the conversation around their roster has already turned toward the one move that could push them closer to the top of the Western Conference.
Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson give Houston a star foundation with real upside, and Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard and Fred VanVleet are expected to add more support. Even so, the Rockets are still viewed as a step behind the league’s best teams, with the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder sitting at the front of the line in the West.
That leaves Houston with an obvious question before February’s trade deadline: where is the biggest upgrade to be found?
Point guard stands out. VanVleet is coming back from a season-ending ACL injury, and Sheppard is still early in his NBA journey. That makes the position the clearest place for Houston to search for more punch, especially if the front office wants to turn strong momentum into something bigger.
One suggested target is De’Aaron Fox. The case for him is straightforward: Houston needs a higher-level point guard, and Fox could provide that while the Spurs appear better positioned to make Dylan Harper the priority. In that scenario, a deal sending Tari Eason, VanVleet and Clint Capela to Sacramento, along with a first-round pick, was floated as a possible fit for both sides.
Another path points closer to home. One view is that VanVleet’s value lies in keeping the offense organized, but he is not the kind of player who changes everything. Kyrie Irving, on the other hand, was described as a stronger swing - healthy again after a torn ACL and still with what was called one more strong run left in him.
The Durant connection matters, too. Irving and Durant have mutual respect, even though their Brooklyn stint never fully clicked, and the idea is that Houston’s supporting cast could make that pairing tough to guard.
The challenge, as always, is the price. Irving makes about $14 million more than Durant, so getting there would require more than Capela’s contract.
VanVleet and Tari Eason were named as the kind of pieces Dallas would want, with a pick possibly added to the mix.
The logic behind that route is simple: if the Rockets want to maximize Durant’s window, Irving offers a better shot than VanVleet.
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