Translator's note: This article was originally published from The Athletic, and the author is Kelly Iko. The data in the article are as of the original article as of June 3rd local time. The views in the article have nothing to do with the translator and the platform.
Nearly a month has passed since the Houston Rockets last played, and now the NBA schedule has turned to the Thunder and Pacers' duel and the final weeks of the 2024-25 season.
A busy summer is coming, but the team management has put in the work ahead of schedule. The joint trial of the draft has come to an end, the individual trial and scouting inspection journey is underway, and the grand blueprint planning has also been put on the agenda. Judging from the tone of head coach Ime Uduka and general manager Rafael Stone's last public appearance, although the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, they are optimistic about the team's near future. After tasting the taste of playoff basketball for the first time, Houston’s young core roster will only crave more wins, while experienced veterans and coaching staff are looking to go further on the 52-win season.
Let's take a look at the Rockets' preliminary summer plans about a month before the free agent market opens: internal transactions, 10 picks options, potential goals, and more.
• As Rockets management continues to be in offseason operation mode—running draft trials, finishing the finishing work of leaving the team interviews and preparing for a critical summer—they need to deal with several potentially important free agents in the roster. Veterans Steven Adams, Jeff Green and Jay Sean Tate will become unrestricted free agents on June 30, and of the three, Adams is clearly seen as a priority. Sources say the 31-year-old has a career recovery this season — recovering from a right knee injury and becoming a key figure in Uduka’s rotation at the end of the season — which is why the Rockets will finalize his future destination as the top priority. But due to his outstanding performance on both sides of the offense and defense, especially his top offensive rebounding ability, Adams has the possibility of being poached by a certain playoff team. Adams earned $12.6 million last season, so he will naturally be suitable for two teams in San Antonio, New York, Indiana and Los Angeles. However, team sources said the Rockets were working on the assumption that Adams hoped to return and would continue to discuss possible contract renewals with his agency team.
• Sources say that if Adams leaves the team, the Rockets may rekindle interest in Brooke Lopez. The 37-year-old averaged 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in Milwaukee last season, with a 37% three-point shooting percentage. He was previously a goal for Houston, and given his performance on both ends of the offense and defense and his health (237 games played in the past three seasons), he is theoretically a good fit for the team. Houston is also expected to have a conversation with Boston management as they believe that the Celtics, who are in salary cut mode, will explore around the league, hoping to get rid of some contracts.
• Houston is expected to welcome back defender Fred Van Vreet to either execute his $44.9 million team option for the 2025-26 season or negotiate a new contract with him at a lower, team-friendly salary, according to team and league sources. Sources say Van Vreett's chances of playing for another team next season are slim. The NBA champion player has expressed his willingness to stay in the team, and he mentioned the team's stable environment. Because of this, the Rockets, who have a good partnership with Van Vreett's agent team (Ritchie Paul and Andy Miller), see him as part of the team's near future.
But the possible effects of Van Vreet's salary cannot be ignored. For example, if Houston executes his team options and suddenly there is a superstar available for trading, his $44.9 million salary could be key to the balance deal due to the size of his contract. However, the Rockets see him as an important reason for the team's recent success and hope to continue to improve with him.
• The Rockets' youthful talent, draft capital and team success (41 wins and 52 wins respectively in the past two seasons), naturally making them the ideal next home for stars who may seek transfers. As mentioned last month, team and league sources said their long-term interest in Suns star defender Devin Booker has cooled down.
As the Rockets long-awaited target, Houston decided to turn from pursuing Booker, which was caused by several factors: He played his lowest scored season since 2021, his worst shooting season since 2019, and also had to consider his salary burden of up to $100 million. The Rockets believe that Phoenix will renew Booker's contract, and is unwilling to break up a rising competitive team, and is unwilling to give up the continued growth of fourth-year guard Jaylen Green.
The latter has become a polarizing topic on social media, but within the team, this is perhaps the most important factor. Green struggled in the playoffs against the Golden State Warriors, and the team saw it as an opportunity to make progress in key areas, and management valued his performance in 82 regular season games rather than a certain series round. Team sources said the Rockets strongly hope to maintain the integrity of their young core roster, besides Green. When considering any potential star and its expected development trajectory, the team will compare it with high ceilings such as Amen Thompson or Alperen Shinkin, both of whom have received NBA honors this season.
• This does not mean that the Rockets and the Suns are not communicating. On the contrary, sources said Phoenix is actively pursuing two goals: a) trade Kevin Durant; b) regain full control of their draft capital, first of all, the No. 10 signing for next month's draft. Sources said Houston has received multiple calls from the Suns since the end of the season, which has gradually lowered its asking price for Durant. At a certain price point, the Rockets will be interested, but there are doubts as to whether the deal will be reached due to concerns about the risk of breaking up the existing roster for a 36-year-old player who has just recovered from injury.
• Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo remains the target, but there has been recent uncertainty over whether Antetokounmpo will actually be put on the shelves over the past week, not to mention the potential offer Milwaukee may ask for.
• The role of guard Reed Shepard has become the focus as the coaching staff thinks about adjustments and improvements for next season. The team sources said the No. 3 pick last season is expected to receive a significantly expanded role, and they mentioned Shepard's space-opening ability and basketball IQ, which are the traits that the Rockets, who are struggling in the half-court offense, were much needed. Shepard played 52 games in his rookie season and averaged less than 13 minutes of playing time, but the team has made a concerted effort to help him accelerate his growth—including his productive experience with the Development League Vipers. In the team circle, Shepard is considered to have a very high ceiling, and the coaching staff hopes to develop his potential as soon as possible.
• Shepard's gain of more playing time will compress veteran Aaron Holiday's role. Holiday has become a trusted choice under Uduka over the past two seasons. He has a $4.9 million team option next season, but the Rockets have expressed their willingness to retain him, but may wait and see how the rest of the roster develops and market conditions before making a decision. Jeff Green and Tate, two favorite players in Houston, are in a similar situation, and they may only get a veteran's basic salary contract.
• Houston management will continue to communicate with the agency teams of Tarry Ethan and Jabbarry Smith, both of whom are eligible for early renewal this summer. According to team sources, if a renewal agreement is not reached this offseason, they are ready to match any offer offered for any of them in the 2026 restricted free agent market. Ethan and Smith have always been key members of Uduka's tactical system. Their both offense and defense and selfless playing style is perfectly in line with the lineup.
• Several teams have asked about the availability of Whitmore, a winger who rarely gets a chance to play. Since being drafted as the No. 20 pick in 2023, Whitmore has struggled to gain a foothold in Uduka's compact rotation lineup and sometimes expresses his dissatisfaction at the end of the bench, but there is still optimism about his potential and rotation position – he has shown a strong performance stage over the past two seasons. At this stage, neither Whitmore nor his brokerage team made a deal request, but both parties wanted to find a solution.
• For the draft later this month, team sources said the Rockets, who have the 10th pick, have received interest in the draft pick – ironically, they have received more calls than they did when they had a top six pick in the past four years. (Generally speaking, it is difficult to trade the top six picks, which tends to reduce people's interest.) Team sources say Houston is open to trading this pick, whether it's downward or exiting the draft altogether. Sources also said that if the right situation occurs, the Rockets are willing to package the draft pick with a player for a deal. Leaving the No. 10 pick will make their current salary profile more manageable, especially as the summer is approaching, with a large number of staff changes expected across the league.
• Houston management is conducting a draft assessment. During the joint trial in Chicago this month, the Rockets interviewed several rookie candidates and focused on trial and career day events in Chicago and Los Angeles.
For the Rockets, the question is whether the players selected next month have a way to get playing time. Players like Shepard and Whitmore are hard to be the main force, and any player who joins in the future may face the same fate.
A unanimous theme for this year's rookie lineup is the quality of individual interviews between each team. Team sources said meetings with Carter Bryant of the University of Arizona, Carman Maluarch of Duke and Colin Murray Boyles of the University of South Carolina — all of the players who might be selected at the No. 10 pick — were described as “excellent,” and they mentioned that these players have excellent on-court knowledge and overall basketball IQ.