LeBron James still hasn’t picked his next stop, and as July rolls on, the Houston Rockets remain on the outside looking in.
James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game for the Los Angeles Lakers last season, but there’s still no decision on where he’ll play next. On Sunday’s episode of Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul, Klutch Sports CEO Paul said James won’t be hurried into signing with a team. That came a few days after NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he was waiting on the 22-time All-Star to make his choice before locking in the league schedule.
ESPN’s David McMenamin reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Miami Heat are viewed as the leading teams in the mix, which points toward James potentially heading back to the Eastern Conference.
That leaves Houston as a long shot. The Rockets don’t have the sentimental pull, the established core, or the kind of offseason splash that would normally put them near the front of this race. Rockets star Kevin Durant also said he believes James is headed to an Eastern team, which only adds to the sense that Houston isn’t high on the 41-year-old’s list.
Still, the Rockets are not as far off as they might look at first glance. Their playoff exit can be misleading, and their offseason has been quiet, but the team actually has plenty to sell to a superstar. Houston finished sixth in net rating last season and emerged as a dark-horse team in a loaded Western Conference.
The first-round loss to James’ Lakers doesn’t tell the whole story either. Houston was without its leading scorer, Durant, for most of that series.
If James were to land in Houston, the fit would be hard to ignore. A frontcourt built around James, Durant, and Alperen Sengun would give the Rockets a serious offensive punch.
All three were All-Stars last season and finished in the top 20 in box plus-minus. Durant’s 41.3% shooting from three-point range gives the group a clean perimeter threat, while James’ playmaking could mesh well with Sengun in the pick-and-roll.
The other teams in the conversation come with their own questions. The 76ers and Heat are not exactly safe bets, especially with Giannis Antetokounmpo’s recent shortcomings with the Milwaukee Bucks and Joel Embiid’s injury issues hanging over the picture. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, never really took control in the playoffs before getting swept by the New York Knicks.
For Houston, the appeal is clear enough: a win-now approach built around Durant, with Sengun and Amen Thompson adding youth to the veteran core. That combination makes the Rockets one of the more interesting teams to watch, even if they still look like a long shot in the LeBron sweepstakes.
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 🡒]