After their failed attempt to land Kevin Durant in the offseason, the Houston Rockets aren’t expected to be in the market for a star player during the regular season.
Per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Rockets are putting the word out that they don’t intend to make a “major trade” during the 2024-25 campaign.
The Rockets had one of those curious moments early in the offseason that set off some alarm bells when they made a deal with the Brooklyn Nets involving multiple draft picks, including a 2027 first-rounder that originally belonged to the Phoenix Suns.
Former ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported at the time that the Rockets made the deal with the Nets with the goal of putting together a package for Durant that would entice the Suns by giving them some of their own picks back that were originally used to acquire the 14-time All-Star from Brooklyn in February 2023.
Suns governor Mat Ishbia threw cold water on any potential Durant trade by publicly stating on X that the team wasn’t interested in trading him because their goal was to compete for a championship in 2024-25.
The Rockets may not be looking to make a move right now, but they have positioned themselves well to potentially do something significant in the future.
Alperen Şengün and Jalen Green both agreed to extensions before Monday’s deadline for players on rookie deals to receive long-term contracts. Şengün’s extension is for $185 million over five years. Green got $105 million over three years with a player option for $36 million in the final season.
