Houston Rockets: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

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).

Features

The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

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?

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.

Charlotte Hornets News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'Triple-Double leaders by team' quiz

How many of the players with the most career triple-doubles for every NBA franchise can you name in five minutes?

The 'Multiple 200 three-pointer seasons' quiz

The '30-point, 10-assist game leaders by team' quiz

The 'Three-point leaders by NBA season' quiz

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 / 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

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

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.

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.

Tari Eason News / Houston Rockets on SI / June 27

Rockets' Summer League Schedule is Released

The NBA's offseason is rounding into shape. The 2026 NBA Draft is officially in the books. Both days of it are complete. Although many NBA fans have voiced

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / June 26

The Rockets Can't Rest While The West Rises

Big offseason moves are dominating the headlines across the league as several teams are juicing up their rosters to improve their chances at winning an NBA Championship.

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

The 'Triple-Double leaders by team' quiz

The '2nd-overall NBA Draft picks' quiz

The 'Multi-time NBA MVPs' quiz

The 'No.1 NBA Draft picks' quiz

Jaylen Brown News / Houston Rockets on SI / June 26

The Jaylen Brown Trade is no Longer Worth it for the Houston Rockets

It appears that the Houston Rockets will be leaning into improving the depth of their current roster as opposed to going star hunting this offseason. Weeks before Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded to the Miami Heat, the Rockets were not believed to be interested in a blockbuster deal despite the linkage between both sides.

NBA News / Houston Rockets on SI / June 26

NBA Mock Trade: Houston Rockets Acquire New Orleans Pelicans Star

With the NBA offseason officially here, stars are on the move, and trade buzz is heating up as July approaches. The Houston Rockets are one of many teams thrown around in rumors and reports, as they could be making major roster changes to compete for a championship in 2027.

Houston Rockets News / Houston Rockets on SI / June 26

The Houston Rockets’ Upcoming Contract Qualifying Offer Decisions

With the New York Knicks winning the NBA Title a couple of weeks ago over the San Antonio Spurs and the NBA draft concluding last week, all 30 NBA teams now turn their attention to free agency, salary negotiation, and possible trades.

Bruce Thornton News / Houston Rockets on SI / June 26

Did the Rockets Make a Reach for Bruce Thornton in the NBA Draft?

The Houston Rockets came into the 2026 NBA Draft with two second round picks and a chance to improve on their areas of weakness from the previous year.

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 / Houston Rockets on SI / June 26

3 Undrafted Players the Rockets Should Consider Taking a Flyer On

The Houston Rockets originally held two selections, albeit both of which were later round selections. The Rockets packaged both picks (39 and 53) to move up to 31, which they used to select Ohio State four-year guard Bruce Thornton. Houston also landed the 55th pick in the deal and walked away with an additional second-round draft pick in 2029.

NBA News / Houston Rockets on SI / June 25

Rockets Reportedly Not Interested in Celtics' Jaylen Brown

For months, we've heard about the Houston Rockets being potential X-factors this offseason. Many had the Rockets penciled in as the biggest buyers on the NBA's summer trade market.

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 / Hoops Wire / June 22

Rockets reportedly willing to entertain trade talks across roster

The Rockets may not be blowing things up. But they also don’t sound like a team that’s interested in standing still. According to Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports, Houston has become more open to trade discussions after taking a hard look at where it stands compared to the NBA’s elite teams.

Houston Rockets News / HITC / June 22

Shams Charania says how Giannis trade could rival complicated Kevin Durant move to Rockets

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s drawn-out future could be settled within hours — and the resolution may not be as simple as it first looks. The trade saga has dragged on for more than a year, with a long list of suitors circling the Milwaukee Bucks star.

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.

Tari Eason News / NBA on ClutchPoints / June 18

Rockets rumors: Houston free agent gets $75 million prediction

The Houston Rockets have another long-term decision to make in the offseason in addition to Fred VanVleet’s future, as Tari Eason entered restricted free agency on June 30.