Important Dates Coming up for the Houston Rockets This Offseason

The NBA Finals is inching closer to its conclusion as Game 2 takes place Sunday night. The Indiana Pacers shocked the world with their comeback win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. With only a couple of weeks left, the focus will shift to the draft and free agency. For the Houston Rockets, the offseason started several weeks ago after their first-round loss to the Golden State Warriors.

The Rockets are coming off their best season since 2020, having won 52 games and finishing second in the Western Conference. They saw improvement across the board, from players on the bench like Tari Eason all the way to Alperen Sengun's first All-Star Game.

The Rockets are now in the process of improving their team this offseason. It has started with them bringing in multiple future draftees as they decide if they will keep their upcoming picks or use those draft picks as part of a bigger trade.

After the Finals, there will be several important upcoming dates for the Rockets as they prepare for the 2025-26 season. As mentioned earlier, the Rockets have already started the draft process as Rafael Stone and the front office have several decisions to make.

The first important date coming up for the Rockets is the upcoming draft. The NBA has stretched the draft over two days, which will start on June 25 and end on June 26. The Rockets currently have the No. 10 overall pick via a trade with the Phoenix Suns and the 59th pick in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks.

The Rockets have had several lottery picks over the last few years, so there's a good chance they either use those picks as part of a blockbuster trade or trade out of this year's draft for future picks. After the draft, the Rockets will have an important decision to make as June 29 is the last day for teams to exercise team options.

Fred VanVleet is entering his third season with the Rockets, and the team must decide whether to bring him back under his current contract, which is over $40 million per season, or work out a longer-term deal at a lower per-season cost. All signs point to the two sides working out a longer-term deal at way less than $40 million a season.

The next important date for the league and the Rockets is July 1, which is the start of free agency. The Rockets more than likely will not be too involved in free agency as they are over the salary cap for this upcoming season, but they do have some players whose contracts came to an end in 2024-25. Jeff Green, Jae'Sean Tate and Aaron Holiday are all unrestricted free agents.

Steven Adams, however, is the most important player on the list. Adams had a great season for the Rockets as he played a big part in the team's success this season. Both sides would like to work on a new contract, but Adams will have a lot of suitors this offseason.

Las Vegas Summer League is from July 10 through the 20 for the Rockets. There is a good chance that a few of the current Rockets may be on the roster. Of course, it also depends on whether the Rockets decide to keep this year's draft picks.

Training camp starts in late September this offseason, as that will be the first glimpse of next season's roster. The Rockets are in the midst of a crucial offseason as they attempt to transition from a good team to a potential championship contender.