What's Next for Houston Rockets this Offseason After Summer League?

The Houston Rockets lost an overtime matchup to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday afternoon, which dropped their Summer League record to 0-3. The Rockets came into the Summer League with no draftees from the 2025 NBA draft. That meant the focus was on second-year guard Reed Sheppard.

Sheppard was shut down after two games, during which he had an up-and-down performance. In game one, despite struggling at times from the field, Sheppard had a solid overall performance with 28 points, four steals, and three blocks. Game 2 saw Sheppard struggle for most of the game, while he did have a good second quarter.

The Rockets' 0-3 record means they will not be moving on to the next round of Summer League and will conclude their time in Vegas this week. That means the Rockets will soon be moving into the next stage of their offseason.

With the news that the Rockets waived Nate Williams, they are now a little over $3 million under the first apron. Even though the news has slowed down since the start of July, free agency is still going on in the NBA.

As July rolls into August, the available free agents see their opportunities start to dwindle and become more willing to accept the veteran minimum, which is all the Rockets can currently offer. That means the Rockets could still be active in the free agent or buyout market. Once the free agent market dries up in late August and September, that is usually the slow period for the NBA.

Head coach Ime Udoka recently spoke about how the team plans to have get-togethers throughout the offseason and send coaches out to work with players, just as they did last offseason. The next major event for the Houston Rockets is the team's media day, which typically takes place at the end of September or the beginning of October. That will be the first day we officially see Kevin Durant in his Rockets uniform.

Of course, after preseason, the regular season starts, and with the addition of Durant, expect to see the Rockets as one of the premier opening night games for the NBA. The breaking news and updates will slow down for a while, but once we reach the end of September, expect news to come in at a breakneck pace.