Houston Rockets: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Evaluating Kevin Durant's Top 3 Plays In his First Season With the Rocket

This past season for the Houston Rockets did not go planned at all. Right from the start when starting point guard Fred VanVleet when down with a torn ACL and the ending when the Rockets were eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs in six games by the Los Angeles Lakers without Luka Doncic.

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The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

Rockets GM Rafael Stone and head coach Ime Udoka don’t seem to be on the same page

The Houston Rockets have some work to do, from a roster standpoint. This couldn’t have been made more obvious following Houston’s disappointing first-round postseason series against the Los Angeles Lakers, who were playing without their best player in Luka Doncic, while their second-best player in Austin Reaves was limited to just two games.

Kevin Durant News / Ball Exclusives / May 20

Kevin Durant stars in hilarious Nike ad alongside Drake

Nike is now showing off the new signature shoe of Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant, doing so in a hilarious way. In a new ad for Durant’s Nike KD 19, he’s seen showing off a few ridiculously ugly shoe concepts to Drake, who gasses up the designs regardless.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / May 20

Why Jabari Smith Jr. Can Take the Houston Rockets to New Heights

Uncertainty occupies the Houston Rockets' rotations this offseason. Trade rumors are dominating headlines surrounding the organization, with them potentially sacrificing the young core for one of a few stars expected to be available.

Oklahoma City Thunder News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'NBA MVPs' quiz

How many players to win the NBA MVP Award can you name in seven minutes?

The 'NBA scoring champions' quiz

The 'Active 40-point playoff games' quiz

The 'Most 30-point games in one NBA postseason' quiz

Reed Sheppard News / The Dream Shake / May 20

Rockets 2025-2026 season in review: Reed Sheppard

DISCLOSURE NOTICE: Reed Sheppard is the author’s adopted nephew.* Rockets fans got to see a lot more of Reed Sheppard this season. Which is nice for a player picked third in the NBA draft.

NBA News / Yardbarker

The best homegrown player for every NBA franchise

As an NBA fan, it hits different when a team's best player is a guy the franchise nurtured from the very start. There's a greater attachment to stars who have been there since the start, who have bled the team's colors since the start of their careers.

Fred VanVleet News / Houston Rockets on SI / May 19

Why Fred VanVleet is Both Right and Wrong about the Rockets' Season being a Success

The Houston Rockets' 2025-26 campaign was identical to their 2024-25 season, in more ways than not. The team won 52 games in both seasons and were early outs in the postseason, falling in the first round each time.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / May 19

Rockets Insider Says Amen Thompson Max Contract Not Guaranteed

There are so many Houston Rockets storylines to watch this offseason, as big changes could be coming. This past season was disappointing for the most part, as many key weaknesses that plagued the Rockets' regular season came back to bite them in the playoffs, resulting in a first-round exit for the second year in a row.

Houston Rockets News / NBA Draft on SI / May 19

Assessing the Houston Rockets' Biggest Needs at the 2026 NBA Draft

Losing in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight season was a tough pill for the Houston Rockets to swallow. They had legitimate title hopes with the arrival of Kevin Durant, pairing him with a young core that showed serious development the year prior.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / May 19

Rockets Could Rid Themselves of Dorian Finney-Smith for a Low Cost

Following the trade that landed Kevin Durant last offseason, the Houston Rockets' brass realized a clear need for a 3-and-D wing. Specifically, the team needed to replace Dillon Brooks, who was a throw-in to the Durant deal with the Phoenix Suns, due to his $22 million in salary ballast.

NBA News / EssentiallySports / May 20

Yao Ming Is the Closest Thing to Victor Wembanyama, Claims All-Star: 'For People Who Don’t Know'

After exploding for 41 points and 24 rebounds in a double-overtime Western Conference Finals win, Victor Wembanyama entered territory only Wilt Chamberlain had reached before in a Conference Finals debut.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / May 19

Mock Trade: Rockets Address Shooting in Deal with Division Foe

Much has been made about the Houston Rockets’ lack of outside shooting on the roster. It’s been an issue for years, but was an even greater issue this past season.

NBA News / Yardbarker

The most unlikely 50-point games in NBA history

If an NBA player ends a game with 30 points, that's generally a great night. 40 points is fantastic, and 50 points is an event. That's especially true when that type of scoring outburst comes from an unexpected source.

Amen Thompson News / HITC / May 19

Why Amen Thompson’s max deal isn’t guaranteed for Houston

Amen Thompson is expected to land a major extension with the Houston Rockets, but a full maximum contract is not guaranteed. The 23-year-old is now eligible after averaging 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists last season, all career-high marks.

Fred VanVleet News / The Dream Shake / May 19

Rockets 2025-2026 season in review: Fred VanVleet

Yes, we know that Fred VanVleet didn’t play for the Houston Rockets this season. But given that GM Rafael Stone stayed quiet at the NBA Trade Deadline and cited VanVleet’s absence for why team management wasn’t making any moves to improve, which became a huge part of this season’s narrative, we wanted to include FVV here in our recaps.

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The 'NBA MVPs' quiz

The 'NBA steals-per-game leaders' quiz

The 'No. 2-scorers by NBA champion' quiz

The 'PGA Championship host courses' quiz

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / May 18

NBA Mock Trade: Rockets Acquire MVP Candidate in Blockbuster Deal

The Houston Rockets find themselves at a crossroads this NBA offseason. Last year, they took a major leap into 'win now' mode, trading some valuable assets for Kevin Durant.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / May 18

How Long Can The Rockets Compete With This Core?

When the Houston Rockets acquired Kevin Durant last offseason, they made a slight push to compete in the next few years before he called it a career. Houston won over 50 games for the second season in a row, but the Rockets never felt like they matched up well against any of the teams that finished ahead of them in the standings.

Amen Thompson News / The Dream Shake / May 18

Rockets insider offers update on Amen Thompson extension

Houston Rockets phenom Amen Thompson is eligible for a contract extension this offseason for up to five years at $251 million. That’s the most the Rockets can offer, but there’s reason to believe Houston would not want to give him that much money, given how much they have to spend elsewhere.

NBA News / Houston Rockets on SI / May 18

Rockets' Amen Thompson Gave Specific Tips to Pistons Ausar Thompson During Cavs Series

The 2026 NBA postseason has seemingly been flying by. The Conference Finals start this week, with the Oklahoma City Thunder facing off against the San

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / May 18

Three Stars the Houston Rockets Should Monitor this NBA Offseason

The Houston Rockets enter the NBA offseason with a clear need for improvement, because this past season was widely viewed as a disappointment. The expectations heading into the year were the highest they've been in years, but all the Rockets could do was suffer a first-round playoff exit for the second year in a row.

Steven Adams News / Houston Rockets on SI / May 17

Steven Adams Can Bring The Rockets' Rebounding Edge Back

The Houston Rockets are trying to figure out where their identity should shift after flaiming out in another early postseason exit. For the most part, team officials are making it fairly clear that they want to maintain the identity they've established over the past several years.

Houston Rockets News / Larry Brown Sports / May 17

Fred VanVleet addresses Kevin Durant’s ‘curse’ amid burner account accusations

Fred VanVleet believes Kevin Durant may be his own worst enemy when it comes to drawing negative attention from the media. Durant became a lightning rod of controversy in his first season with the Houston Rockets when a social media account allegedly belonging to Durant was leaked.