Kevin Durant leaving the Suns during the off-season was pretty much a foregone conclusion. His tenure in Phoenix somehow went worse than his time with the Brooklyn Nets, which is actually pretty impressive when you stop and think about it. The only question was where he would end up. No one knew which team would take the KD leap.
After a great deal of speculation, it was the Houston Rockets who decided to gamble on the Slim Reaper and brought in the former champion. The cost was Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, and a few first-round draft picks. KD playing for the Rockets would likely make him the biggest star the team has had since the James Harden days, which really weren't that long ago.
The move was a bit of a surprise since the Rockets were finally seeing some momentum for the first time in years. A coaching change combined with some serious team rebuilding had led the franchise back to the playoffs for the first time in years. To many people, simply running back with a few minor roster updates would have made a lot more sense.
Tough times for the Houston Rockets
Starting with the 2012-13 season, the Rockets reached the NBA Playoffs for eight consecutive seasons. This was during James Harden's prime run and featured his MVP season in 2017/18. A variety of personnel changes both on and off the court derailed the franchise starting with the 2020-21 season. The team would miss four consecutive playoffs at that point.
It was a rough time for a team that had found so much postseason success. Bringing Ime Udoka in as the head coach for the 2023-24 season was a literal game changer. Alongside some big trades, the Rockets were suddenly a .500 team.
Things got better in 2024/25 as they made the first round of the playoffs, ultimately losing to the Golden State Warriors in seven games. The Rockets were the number two team in the Western Conference this season.
That's a huge deal considering how competitive the West was outside of the incredibly dominant OKC Thunder. As such, running it back and building on that momentum would have made a lot of sense. Instead, the franchise pulled the team apart and brought in an aging superstar whose best years are behind him.
The Rockets were still on the rise before Kevin Durant
It's not hard to understand why some Rockets fans are not particularly optimistic about this upcoming season. Durant's tenures in Brooklyn and Phoenix were not exactly successful. And losing Dillon Brooks is going to be tough. Like he did in his days with the Memphis Grizzlies, Brooks was a culture builder for the Rockets and set the tone for the team.
Ime Udoka remains as coach, which is important as he has been absolutely key to reversing the Rockets' fortunes. That being said, if the "KD era" doesn't bear fruit quickly, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Udoka on the unemployment line. He wouldn't be the first coach blamed when a KD-led team doesn't deliver. Just ask Kenny Atkinson, Steve Nash, Frank Vogel, and Mike Budenholzer.
Coming out of the 2024-25 season, the Rockets were in a strong position to become more dominant in the West. Yet, these recent moves and the potential for more may undercut that. The Lakers are reputedly sniffing around Steven Adams for their new center. Running it back in 2025-26 had a lot more potential for success than a series of unnecessary changes.