Hanifan's Offseason Outlook: Evaluating the Houston Rockets' 2025 offseason

For our second annual offseason outlook series, Hot Hot Hoops senior writer Matt Hanifan will provide his take on the offseasons of all 30 teams for the next 30 days! We have already completed the Eastern Conference, so we will proceed in alphabetical order with the West before capping it all off with the Miami Heat. Today, we will be evaluating the Houston Rockets’ offseason.

Past Previews:

Sept. 1: Atlanta Hawks
Sept. 2: Boston Ce l tics
Sept. 3: Brooklyn Nets
Sept. 4: Charlotte Hornets
Sept. 5: Chicago Bulls
Sept. 6: Cleveland Cavaliers
Sept. 7: Detroit Pistons
Sept. 8: Indiana Pacers
Sept. 9: Milwaukee Bucks
Sept. 10: New York Knicks
Sept. 11: Orlando Magic
Sept. 12: Philadelphia 76ers
Sept. 13: Toronto Raptors
Sept. 14: Washington Wizards
Sept. 15: Dallas Mavericks
Sept. 16: Denver Nuggets
Sept. 17: Golden State Warriors

Evaluating the Houston Rockets’ 2025 offseason:

Additions: Kevin Durant, Clint Capela, Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Okogie, J.D. Davison, Isaiah Crawford

Subtractions: Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, Jock Landale, David Roddy, N’Faly Dante, Cam Whitmore

Re-signed: Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr., Steven Adams, Jae’Sean Tate, Aaron Holiday, Jeff Green

Draft: N/A

Hanifan’s outlook: The Houston Rockets have one of the league’s most dynamic young cores — led by Alperen Sengun and two-way star Amen Thompson — buoying them to the No. 2 seed in the West last year. However, they lost a rock fight in the first round against Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and the Golden State Warriors.

Despite sporting a top-5 defense, the Rockets were a bottom-nine halfcourt offense with the eighth-worst effective field goal percentage and seventh-worst true-shooting percentage. They needed at least one other creator.

Good news for them: They acquired one of the best scorers this sport has ever seen in Kevin Durant without having to give up Thompson, Sengun, VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason or Reed Sheppard. They sacrificed two polarizing assets in Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks with the No. 10 overall pick and five second-round picks.

That’s not nothing for the 36-year-old, who does have a concerning soft tissue injury history. No contender needed Durant more than Houston — and they still have a plethora of tradable assets if another move arises.

Not to mention, Dorian Finney-Smith is a great scheme fit for Udoka, too. I don’t expect him to shoot 41 percent from 3-point range again, but he’s still a rangy defender who will only help space the floor for Thompson and Co.

I love what Houston did this offseason — and I think they’re a real threat to make it out of the Western Conference this season.