Houston Rockets: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Rockets Deemed Most Likely to Land Lakers Guard in NBA Free Agency

Ahead of NBA free agency, starting today at 5 p.m. CT, headlines are starting to heat up for the Houston Rockets. They already have most of their rotation set to return for the 2026-27 season, but one familiar foe could end up with the organization by the end of the summer.

Features

The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

Fred VanVleet exercises player option to return to Rockets

According to team sources who spoke to The Athletic on Monday, Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet has activated his $25 million player option for the 2026–27 campaign.

Anthony Edwards News / The Dream Shake / June 30

Should the Rockets make a run at Anthony Edwards?

The Houston Rockets’ brass has drawn a good bit of criticism this offseason for a lack of activity. Understandably, as we’ve seen other teams make moves,

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / June 29

What We Learned From Bruce Thornton’s First Press Conference as a Houston Rocket

The 2026 NBA Draft is in the rearview mirror, and the Houston Rockets made one key selection at the start of the second round. Bruce Thornton was drafted at No.

NBA News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'NBA Rookies of the Year' quiz

How many NBA Rookie of the Year winners from the lottery era (1985 to present) can you name in five minutes?

The 'NBA Playoff scoring-record by team' quiz

The '30 PPG in the regular season' quiz

The 'Triple-Double leaders by team' quiz

Tari Eason News / Athlon Sports / June 29

Fantasy Basketball 2026-27: How to Triage the Offseason Decisions That Actually Matter

Fantasy basketball managers have a laundry list of decisions to monitor as the 2026-27 NBA offseason continues to be the most eventful in recent history.

NBA News / Yardbarker

The 25 most impactful international NBA draft picks of all-time

The NBA is truly a global league. As such, there have been historical impacts left on the game by players of all walks of life. Some of the game's all-time

Houston Rockets News / Ball Exclusives / June 29

Houston Rockets guard opts into $25 million player option

Houston Rockets veteran Fred VanVleet opted into his $25 million player option according to Shams Charania. This will be the final year of VanFleet’s two-year $50 million contract he signed with Houston back in 2025.

Tari Eason News / Hoops Rumors / June 29

Rockets Extend Qualifying Offer To Tari Eason

The Rockets are extending an $8,014,182 qualifying offer to forward Tari Eason, making him a restricted free agent, Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports tweets. This confirms Iko’s report over the weekend that Houston was likely to give Eason his QO.

Fred VanVleet News / NBA on ClutchPoints / June 29

Rockets’ Fred VanVleet makes $25 million contract decision

After being ousted in the first round of the playoffs for a second year in a row, the Houston Rockets are evaluating all aspects of their roster. Now they know exactly where point guard Fred VanVleet stands entering the 2026-27 season.

NBA News / Yardbarker

Every NBA team's best-ever second-round draft pick

In the NBA Draft, the first round is where teams look for players who could be stars or at least contribute right away. Then there's the second round, where the stakes are low and not much is expected.

Fred VanVleet News / Hoops Rumors / June 29

Fred VanVleet To Exercise $25MM Player Option

Rockets guard Fred VanVleet will pick up his $25MM player option for the upcoming season, Clutch Sports CEO Rich Paul tells ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

Houston Rockets News / The Dream Shake / June 29

A farewell letter to The Dream Shake

Lately I have had several ideas about what piece I wanted to write next. For instance, is Ime Udoka this current Rockets’ version of Don Cheaney, Del Harris, Mark Jackson, or Tom Thibodeau?

Click here to get Yardbarker's Quiz of the Day emailed to you!

The 'Active MLB XBH leaders' quiz

The 'First-overall NHL Draft picks' quiz

The 'Triple-Double leaders by team' quiz

The '2nd-overall NBA Draft picks' quiz

NBA News / Houston Rockets on SI / June 29

This Day in NBA History: Rockets Acquire Tracy McGrady From Magic

Most of the Houston Rockets' greatest players have come through the NBA Draft, speaking to their historical significance and ability to identify talent.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / June 29

Houston Rockets Could Be In the Mix for a Kawhi Leonard Trade

With the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga now completed, Jaylen Brown and Kawhi Leonard have stolen headline with the offseason carrying on and NBA free agency approaching, and it's hard to leave the Houston Rockets out of the buzz.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / June 28

The Rockets Can't Trade Their Stars Without A Better Plan

The Houston Rockets have sat back and watched several other teams in the league trade important, core pieces from their roster, believing there are other opportunities that could help them become more competitive.

NBA News / Hoops Wire / June 28

Rockets to extend QO to Tari Eason; Nuggets to Spencer Jones

The Rockets don’t appear ready to let Tari Eason reach unrestricted free agency. According to Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports, Houston is expected to extend a qualifying offer to Eason, officially making the 24-year-old forward a restricted free agent and giving the Rockets the right to match any offer sheet he receives.

NBA News / Hoops Rumors / June 28

Rockets’ Eason, Nuggets’ Jones To Receive Qualifying Offers

The Rockets are “likely” to tender a qualifying offer to forward Tari Eason, league sources tell Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The qualifying offer will formally make Eason a restricted free agent before rival teams can begin negotiating with him at 5:00 pm CT on June 30.

NBA News / The Dream Shake / June 28

Rockets out on Jaylen Brown, but what about Marcus Smart?

One of Ime Udoka’s former players from his time with the Celtics, Jaylen Brown, was thought to be of interest to the Rockets in a trade, but that seems to have vanished, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer: “The word around the league is the Rockets haven’t been involved in the ongoing Jaylen Brown trade talks at all.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / June 28

How Second-Round Draft Pick Bruce Thornton Can Help The Rockets

The Houston Rockets ended up being quite certain about how they wanted the 2026 NBA Draft to go for them. While the Rockets entered Day 2 with two second round picks, those were swapped with the New York Knicks as Houston jumped to the first pick of the second round at No.

Kawhi Leonard News / Larry Brown Sports / June 29

Kawhi Leonard reportedly has interest in one new team

Leonard, who turns 35 on Monday, is coming off the strongest statistical season of his NBA career.

The 'NBA Playoff scoring-record by team' quiz

Tari Eason News / Houston Rockets on SI / June 27

Rockets' Summer League Roster is Beginning to Round Out

The 2025-26 NBA calendar year is officially complete. The conclusion of the NBA Finals put a bow on a rather eventful season. Now the offseason is underway.

NBA News / HITC / June 27

76ers rookie LaBaron Philon Jr. roasts Rockets All-Star Alperen Sengun with harsh comment

Philadelphia 76ers rookie LaBaron Philon Jr. has allowed TikTok to form his impression of Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun. Sengun has solidified himself as an All-Star caliber player in the NBA, although his rough 2026 Playoffs performance has raised some questions about his status as one of the elite players in the NBA.

Houston Rockets News / The Lead / June 26

Houston Rockets 2026 NBA Draft Reaction

The Houston Rockets entered the second night of the 2026 NBA Draft without making a selection, but left with a clear victory. Before the second round even

Houston Rockets News / NBA on ClutchPoints / June 25

Rockets 2026 NBA Draft grades for every pick

The Houston Rockets entered the 2026 NBA Draft facing a different challenge than they had just a few seasons ago. The rebuilding phase is officially over.

Houston Rockets News / Fadeaway World / June 21

Under-The-Radar Players The Rockets Could Acquire In 2026-27

The Houston Rockets have made it clear they are operating in win-now mode. After acquiring Kevin Durant last season and pairing him with Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and a talented young core under contract, Houston enters the 2026-27 season with legitimate championship aspirations after a disappointing first-round exit.

Houston Rockets News / HITC / June 19

Houston Rockets take aim at BBC’s World Cup coverage as Houston landscape goes viral

The Houston Rockets have mocked the BBC for an embarrassing mistake during their World Cup 2026 coverage. The BBC have broadcast the United States’ second World Cup match against Australia on Friday.