ESPN Tabs Rockets as Early Offseason Winner

Although the NBA offseason just officially started, it largely feels like it's already over. Which is strange considering that Game 7 of the NBA Finals wasn't even two weeks ago.

But deals were taking place during the Finals, so the offseason started earlier than usual (unofficially).

With the bulk of the offseason in the books, assessments have been dished out. The Houston Rockets, one of the most active teams thus far (if not THE most active team) have garnered a favorable evaluation by ESPN's Zach Kram, citing them as one of just three offseason winning teams, alongside the Atlanta Hawks and the Denver Nuggets.

Kram's assessment of Houston's early moves is below:

"No matter its follow-up moves, Houston would have been an offseason winner on the virtue of the Kevin Durant trade alone.

They also signed Dorian Finney-Smith to a four-year, $53 million contract; signed Clint Capela to a three-year, $21.5 million pact; signed Fred VanVleet to a newly manageable contract; signed Jabari Smith Jr. to a reasonable extension; and re-signed Jae'Sean Tate, Aaron Holiday and Jeff Green to round out the roster.

The end result of all this activity is a deep, versatile roster that can beat opponents in all sorts of ways. The Rockets will challenge the Oklahoma City Thunder for the unofficial title of deepest team.

The Rockets will also challenge the Thunder for a more official title, because Houston looks like the second-best team in the West -- and therefore the greatest threat to Oklahoma City's chance at becoming the first repeat champion since Durant's Warriors in 2017 and 2018."

It's hard to disagree with Kram, especially as it pertains to the Durant trade, as Rockets GM managed to hold onto Reed Sheppard -- last year's third overall pick -- and Jabari Smith Jr., whom the Suns reportedly coveted.

Kram also noted that the Rockets' roster isn't perfect and will have to rely heavily on Fred VanVleet, who isn't quite coming off a great season (although he played much better in the Rockets' postseason series against the Golden State Warriors).

The Rockets will also need to add another shooting guard, with the loss of Jalen Green in the Durant deal. Irrespective of what moves lie ahead by the franchise, it's fair to say they entered the offseason with a gameplan and have largely executed it successfully.