The Houston Rockets have spent the last couple of years fighting their way back to relevancy. With the help of Kevin Durant, a legit living legend, Houston has found the playoffs again. Now, the problem might be that Durant is the one in the way of the Rockets pushing toward the Finals.
For anyone who has been a long-time fan of the Rockets, it's hard not to have mixed feelings about the last six years. From 2013 to 2020, Houston appeared in eight consecutive playoffs, making it as far as the conference finals in two of those seasons. But all good things must come to an end.
2021 to 2024 saw the Rockets miss the postseason every year. If you watched this team during the heydays of the Hakeem Olajuwon era, it was tough. Fortunately, the franchise got to work and started making positive changes to the team that got them back into the playoffs in the last two years.
While there are still roster issues to address, the Rockets have made some key changes with Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams, and Amen Thompson. Going into the new season, Houston has signed Marcus Smart and Bogdan Bogdanović. Then there's the Slim Reaper himself.
It might be time for the Rockets to move on from Kevin Durant
Durant is one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA and an all-time top-ten forward. He is a league MVP, a two-time champion, a two-time Finals MVP, a 16-time All-Star, a 12-time All-NBA team member, a four-time scoring champion, and a Rookie of the Year. And that's just his NBA success.
That being said, Durant just finished his 19th season in the NBA. There's no doubt that he's still a great player, but his days of leading franchises to the finals are behind him. Going into this season, the Rockets' front office must have this reality lurking in the back of their minds.
It's an issue that's only enhanced by the fact that Durant has two years left on his contract and is the highest-paid player on the roster for both seasons by far. The Rockets are under the second apron, but their salary cap issues are only going to get tighter. That will create roster problems.
KD's availability issues are likely to get worse, and his sizable salary is going to limit roster moves. If the Rockets want to keep progressing towards being contenders in the Western Conference, the front office will have to ask itself if Durant is helping or hindering that growth.
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