This week’s update from NBA commissioner Adam Silver on possible league expansion has already pushed teams into a familiar exercise: start sorting out who would be safe if the NBA ever stages an expansion draft for new franchises in Las Vegas and Seattle.
Nothing is final yet. There has not been a vote to approve new teams.
But if that day comes, the old 2004 expansion rules would allow each team to protect up to eight players, with at least one player left exposed. For the Houston Rockets, the list starts with three obvious names.
Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson should all be locked in. Durant was one of the league’s top five scorers last season and earned an All-NBA Second Team nod.
Sengun picked up another All-Star selection. Thompson, meanwhile, landed in the top 10 in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
All three look like players who could be All-Stars in 2027, and all three would carry major value in any trade market.
The next tier is less about star power and more about keeping the roster functional and balanced. Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr., and Reed Sheppard all fit that description. VanVleet, 32, is still viewed as a steady starting point guard and a veteran voice in the room.
Smith and Sheppard matter for the long haul. Smith, 23, has become a dependable presence at power forward, and he averaged 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds during last season’s playoffs. Sheppard, 22, may be on the rise after a sophomore season in which he put up 13.5 points per game and finished in the top 10 in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
That leaves the most interesting decisions at the back end of the protection list. Bruce Thornton and Tari Eason are the two names with the strongest cases to sneak in, thanks to their upside and future value. That edge puts them ahead of Marcus Smart, Steven Adams, and Jae’Sean Tate.
Eason’s case is especially strong. He averaged 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in 60 games last season, and with a contract running through at least 2030, he looks like Houston’s best option to back up Durant or Smith.
Thornton is a different kind of bet. He was the Rockets’ only addition from the 2026 NBA Draft and sits near the bottom of the depth chart for now, but his Summer League showing suggested he deserves a chance to move into the rotation when the opportunity opens up.
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Rockets Fans Can Already Circle The Games That Will Define October
The calendar is already giving Rockets fans a clear sense of how October will unfold, with Media Day set for Sept. 22, training camp opening the next day and a preseason that starts to sharpen the edges quickly. Houston has three exhibition games before the games start counting, including a home date with the Thunder on Oct. 15, and then the real thing arrives Oct. 21 when the Mavericks come to town to open the regular season.
From there, the Rockets move straight into the kind of month that can shape early expectations, with NBA Cup play beginning Oct. 30 and a schedule dotted with matchups against the Suns and several meetings with the Spurs. There are bigger markers later in the year too, with All-Star weekend set for Feb. 19-21 and the trade deadline on Feb. 11, but for Houston the first real test is simply surviving that opening stretch and seeing where the team stands once the dust settles. [Read more 🡒]
Jabari Smith Jr. Is Giving Rockets Fans A Bigger Long-Term Debate
Jabari Smith Jr. has settled into the kind of profile the Rockets hoped for when they made him a cornerstone piece: a 23-year-old power forward coming off a season in which he averaged 15.8 points and 6.9 rebounds over 77 games. With a contract running through 2030, he is already part of Houstons long-term picture, and the mix of size, durability and defensive value he brings makes him one of the more reliable young pieces on the roster.
The debate now is less about whether Smith belongs in the Rockets future and more about how high his ceiling can climb from here. His rank among the leagues top power forwards for the 2026-2027 season reflects how far he has come, but it also underscores the unfinished parts of his game that still shape his next step. For Houston, the question is whether those improvements come soon enough to match the teams broader ambitions. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Durant Faces One Pressure That Could Define Houston's Season
Kevin Durant arrives in Houston with a very specific kind of pressure, one that has less to do with nightly scoring binges and more to do with availability, timing and trust. For the Rockets, the plan is not just to add another star name to the roster but to get a steady, veteran presence who can keep the group on track over the grind of the season and into the postseason, where his value is supposed to be felt most.
The rest of the setup matters just as much. Houston expects veteran help around Durant and needs its young core to keep growing so the team can stay in the mix for one of the Wests top spots. But the real test will come late, when possessions tighten and the Rockets need someone who can settle games down, take the biggest shots and still be standing when the playoffs begin. [Read more 🡒]