The Houston Rockets have kept a relatively low profile in a summer full of headline-grabbing names, and that quiet approach may be the one thing they look back on with real regret.
Their biggest move so far was adding Marcus Smart, a three-time All-Defensive selection who is expected to sit behind Fred VanVleet in the point guard rotation. For a team that already piled up another 50-plus-win season and has climbed into the conversation as a dark horse in the championship race, standing pat is not exactly a disaster. Kevin Durant carried the scoring load, averaging 26.0 points per game over 78 games, and the Rockets don’t appear to need a complete overhaul to stay in the mix.
But the missed opportunity is staring them right in the face.
On July 6, the Boston Celtics sent Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in a deal that brought back Paul George, unprotected 2028 and 2031 first-round picks, and two second-round picks. Brown had just finished sixth in MVP voting after leading a depleted Celtics roster to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, and the return Boston accepted was enough to make other teams around the league wonder what might have been available.
That includes Houston.
George put up 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 37 games, but his value is clouded by injury concerns and the four-year, $211 million contract attached to him. The draft compensation from Philadelphia also doesn’t look especially enticing if the 76ers stay on a successful long-term track. In that light, Brown looks like the far more appealing prize.
A Brown pursuit could have been built around Durant or a package of role players, and from Boston’s side, Durant would have offered more production, more availability, and more financial flexibility than George. For a Rockets team still operating within striking distance of contention, that kind of swing could have made a lot of sense.
Brown also would have brought an obvious basketball fit. A reunion with head coach Ime Udoka would have given Houston another proven offensive playmaker, something the team lacked when the playoffs exposed its flaws. With Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson both continuing to rise, Brown might have helped lock in the kind of core that can carry a team for years.
The Rockets still have time to make another move before the offseason is over, but the Brown deal is the one that stands out. In a month when stars have been changing teams all over the league, Houston may have been too passive at the exact moment when aggression was rewarded.
In Other News...
Alperen Sengun Just Reached A Tense Point In His Rockets Rise
Alperen Sengun has already made the leap from promising young big man to consecutive All-Star, but the next step in his Rockets rise comes with a different kind of pressure. Entering his sixth NBA season at 23, he is no longer being evaluated as a prospect so much as a central piece of Houstons push to turn talent into real playoff progress, especially after a fifth season that brought some uneven stretches on both ends.
The Rockets know what they need from Sengun now: more consistency, cleaner decision-making and a steadier defensive presence as the young core tries to mature together. Marcus Smarts arrival in free agency only sharpens that expectation, giving Houston another veteran voice as it looks to build on recent postseason runs. For Sengun, the challenge is less about proving he belongs and more about showing he can carry the weight that comes with being one of the faces of the franchise. [Read more 🡒]
Fred VanVleet Just Sent Rockets Fans A Huge Message About Next Season
Fred VanVleets lost season still hangs over Houston, but the point guard is already looking past it. After missing the entire 2025-26 campaign with a torn ACL, he has been progressing well in rehab and is working every day as he gets closer to full basketball activity, a sign the Rockets may not have to wait long to see him back on the floor.
VanVleet now expects to be ready for Houstons first preseason game ahead of the 2026-27 season, which matters for a team that kept winning through injuries and still reached the playoffs. Even after a strong regular season ended with a first-round exit, his message to Rockets fans was bigger than recovery alone, with VanVleet voicing confidence that this group can make a real championship push next year. [Read more 🡒]
Rockets Title Hopes May Hinge On One Missing Piece Around Amen And Sengun
The Rockets have spent the early part of this build trying to answer a bigger question than just how good Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun can become. The more interesting debate is whether those two can serve as the foundation for a title-level team if Houston finds the right structure around them, much like Denver did when it put its 2023 core in place. Sengun gives the offense a rare hub in the middle, Thompson brings the defensive versatility and connective play that can hold possessions together, and together they give Houston a real starting point.
What still hangs over the whole idea is the same issue that often separates a promising young team from a true contender: the Rockets need a creator who can finish games and bend defenses when everything tightens up. Rafael Stone and the front office are expected to keep looking for that kind of guard or wing, the sort of player who can take pressure off Sengun and Thompson and make the rest of the roster fit cleaner. Until Houston finds that missing piece, the ceiling feels exciting but unfinished. [Read more 🡒]