The Houston Rockets are sitting in a tricky but fascinating spot. They’ve got enough young talent to believe in the near future, but Kevin Durant changes the timeline. He’s a win-now star, and that puts pressure on every move Houston makes from here.
Durant’s status in Houston is not as locked in as some might assume. NBA insider Brett Siegel reported that the Rockets do not view him as an untouchable piece in trade conversations.
As Siegel wrote, “Whether or not the Rockets look to continue their partnership with Durant is the big question at large, especially since they don't view him as an "untouchable" talent in trade talks on their roster. Houston viewed the opportunity to acquire Durant as a way to upgrade from Jalen Green and bridge the gaps in their lineup to contend in the West, but by no means was this addition viewed as a long-term commitment," NBA insider Brett Siegel wrote.
But there’s another path Houston could take: keep Durant and add another star next to him. USA Today’s Wajih AlBaroudi pointed to Kyrie Irving as a possible target, especially after Fred VanVleet’s torn ACL before the 2025-26 season changed the outlook for the Rockets.
AlBaroudi noted that “Fred VanVleet's torn ACL just before the 2025-26 season derailed what could've been a special season for the Rockets, who have become a defensive juggernaut under Ime Udoka. Irving would provide the Rockets some much-needed scoring punch, plus Houston has an array of defenders to cover up Irving's deficiencies on that end,” AlBaroudi wrote.
Irving’s situation in Dallas remains unsettled. Marc Stein reported that the Mavericks have kept turning away trade interest all offseason, but rival teams are still watching closely as the season gets going and the Feb. 11 trade deadline nears.
Stein wrote, “The Mavericks, as we've been writing since mid-June, have consistently swatted away trade interest this offseason in nine-times-an-All-Star guard Kyrie Irving. Rival teams, however, continue to wonder aloud about how firmly Dallas will stick to that stance once the season begins and the next in-season trade deadline on Feb. 11 gradually approaches.
The primary factor fueling that curiosity, of course, is that fact that Irving is 34 and Mavericks star forward Cooper Flagg is 19. Not your average age gap between the team's two best players,” The Stein Line’s Marc Stein wrote.
For Houston, a Durant-Irving pairing would reopen a storyline that never got the ending it deserved in Brooklyn. The two have already shown they can work together, and the idea of giving that partnership another shot is exactly why this rumor has traction.
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The Rockets interest in bigger-swing possibilities this summer has only sharpened the focus on where Houston really stands with its own young core. Any discussion tied to Kyrie Irving and the Mavericks quickly circles back to the same question for the Rockets: which players are part of the long-term plan, and which names are simply part of the wider trade conversation around a team trying to climb the West?
Amen Thompson sits near the center of that answer, with Houston treating him as a foundational piece after locking him in on a five-year extension. But the more interesting pressure point may be Alperen Sengun, because a sluggish start could push the Rockets into a different kind of evaluation, one where the line between building around the core and reshaping it gets a lot thinner. [Read more 🡒]
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A positive health update on Fred VanVleet gave the Rockets a little more reason to feel good about where they are headed. Ime Udoka said the veteran guard is progressing well in rehab after tearing his ACL, and the tone around his recovery suggests the team is getting closer to having a major piece back in the fold. With VanVleet such an important stabilizer for Houston, any sign that the process is moving in the right direction matters.
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Ime Udoka Just Added A Coach Rockets Fans Should Love
Chip Engelland is officially on board in Houston, and his arrival gives Ime Udoka another veteran voice on the staff with a reputation that should play especially well with Rockets fans. Udoka pointed to their long relationship and Engellands shooting expertise when discussing the hire, a pairing that makes sense for a young roster that can always use cleaner spacing, better mechanics and more consistency from the perimeter.
Engelland did not come from a quiet offseason stop either, having been with the Oklahoma City Thunder during the playoffs before making the move to Houston. The next question is how quickly that teaching presence translates on the floor, especially with Engelland already around the team and getting to work in the practice environment where the Rockets will look to sharpen the details. [Read more 🡒]