Will Houston Rockets be Contenders Next Season?

The Houston Rockets have already had a busy offseason, and aren’t done just yet with free agency ahead.

The team has already made one of the biggest trades of the offseason in acquiring all-timer Kevin Durant from Phoenix, and has inked players to new deals with potential free agency signings impending. 

With the roster effectively overhauled for the better, and some of the top talent in free agency desiring Houston as a landing spot, it begs the question: will the Rockets truly be able to contend next season?

The early signs are pointing to yes.

The Rockets projected depth chart wouldn’t necessarily stick out for the wrong reasons among the last handful of champions. They have one of the top players of all-time in Durant — one still plenty capable of playing at an All-NBA level — proven veterans with experience at the highest levels in Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams, and of course its host of talented up-and-comers. 

Should continued internal development smile kindly on the likes of Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard and more, the team could vault into a different stratosphere.

That’s not to say there won’t be major roadblocks standing in the way of Houston, first and foremost being the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder were one of the youngest champions of all time, and project to be even better next season with their own internal dealings.

Roster turnovers and continuity could also bite the Rockets. While they’re certainly a more talented team on-paper, Durant and other newbies will take some getting used to from a chemistry perspective. In that sense, the losses of Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks will hurt some. And a lack of deep postseason experience from those outside Durant and VanVleet could rear its head late.

To top it all off, the Rockets will face one of the best West's ever, even sans OKC, with teams like San Antonio, Denver, Minnesota, the Lakers, Clippers and plenty more looming.

Regardless, the Rockets’ on-paper talent level says they’ll compete for a title next season. It will be an uphill battle, as every deep postseason run is. But the front office has done its job in building a contender, to this point.