The Rockets acquired Kevin Durant earlier this season via a trade that sent Jalen Green to the Suns. Following the trade, several sources speculated that Kevin Durant will look to extend his contract and plans to retire in Houston.
However, some sources believe there may be a few hiccups in Durant’s contract extension talks. According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, the Rockets are not likely to offer Durant a max extension this summer and haven’t gone all in on him at the moment.
He appeared on the latest episode of the Hoops Collective podcast and gave his opinion on the Rockets’ future.
“The Rockets to me.. they’ve created a fascinating situation. But I agree, I think they’re as well-positioned to have a long run as any franchise other than Oklahoma City. Despite the fact that they just went all in, they didn’t go all in, they just made a trade to get Kevin Durant, who is going into year 18.”
“They did not go all in on the trade. They made a trade at a price that they were okay with, that did not sacrifice the long term. You know, Jalen Green was a second-round pick who didn’t really pan out. Um, you know, we talked when they made the trade, if you’re ranking the young players on the roster by future value, by long-term value, he might have been fifth or sixth on that list.”
“And then, you know, that they didn’t really have like an immediate spot for the 10th overall pick in this year’s draft. Hell, they couldn’t squeeze the third overall pick in last year’s draft into the rotation.”
“The Rockets aren’t going to go all in. By all appearances and by what I’ve heard, they’re not going all in on an extension for Kevin Durant. Now, doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but you know, there’ve been rumblings of, hey, KD doesn’t, you know, he’s not going to push for the full max.”
“Ummm, I don’t know that the Rockets are going to put anything on the table that’s close to the max. I think the Rockets are like it’s not ideal, but I don’t think they would panic if they go into the season with Kevin Durant just on the contract that he’s on, just on the expiring deal.”
MacMahon has some solid sources in the front office of the Rockets; therefore, the information he has given on Durant is almost as good as confirmed. It will be interesting to see what Durant feels about this.
He could pull a Kawhi Leonard-type move like he did with the Raptors, where Leonard joined them for one season (2019) on an expiring contract, won them the championship with their young core, and left the next season for the Clippers.
Depending on what Durant and his representatives feel about this, Durant could take a call on his future. If he fails to win a championship, he may not see an offer from the Rockets that he would like. And if he does, he could still leave like Leonard did. Or he could even earn that max contract and retire in Houston eventually.
The Rockets also have a young core that is getting set for their extensions, like Tari Eason in 2025-26 and Amen Thompson the following year. Therefore, the Rockets need to decide between investing in an aging Kevin Durant for the long term or saving the salary cap space to pay the young stars what they deserve.
The Rockets are certainly an exciting team to watch in the 2025-26 season. This season could determine where the franchise is headed in the future.
