Yes, it’s the last of the NBA doldrums before Houston Rockets season kicks off. They begin training camp on September 23 — six days away — because they are one of the teams playing international games in the preseason. The rest of the NBA starts September 29. Our yearly player preview series is mere days away. But for the next couple of days, it’s still the offseason, and this is the kind of news we have.ESPN just put out a future ranking of every NBA team, and the Rockets are ranked fourth overall
in the NBA. The future rankings are designed to mean 30 years out. Here’s what ESPN said about our hometown boys:
Three-year outlook: Despite a fairly underwhelming 2025-26 campaign, Houston is still in strong position for this season and beyond. The Rockets have an enviable mix of high-upside youth and proven veterans — including Fred VanVleet returning from injury — and they’ve been one of the NBA’s best front offices in terms of financial management, routinely saving money with firm negotiations on extensions. Add in an unprotected pick swap with the Nets next summer, and Houston could be back in business quite soon. — Kram
Roster question looming: Amen Thompson just got his new deal, but what will happen with Kevin Durant if this Rockets team fails to advance past the first round again or struggles during the regular season? The soon-to-be 38-year-old has a $46 million player option next season, and Durant last season played his second-most games since 2013-14 and has not averaged fewer than 20 points since entering the NBA in 2007. — Marks
FPR nugget to know: In January 2023, when I was a coach on the Wizards bench, I remember being down 19 points in the first half to a young Rockets team. I felt confident that we would come back and beat them because they were not just young, they were a chaotic group that didn’t know how to play together. Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun still had a lot to figure out. We did indeed come back to win. That anecdote illustrates why you should forgive ESPN for ranking the Rockets 26th in the Future Power Rankings after that season, when they ended up compiling the eighth-best record in the NBA over the following three seasons. By the eye test or numbers test, those Rockets had a long way to go. — Oliver
Bold prediction for 2027-29: Durant won’t retire with the Rockets. The 16-time All-Star still has plenty of high-level basketball left in the tank, but it’s debatable whether Houston makes sense as a long-term home. Durant’s fit with Sengun is clunky, and the 2014 MVP has drifted from team to team after two or three seasons throughout the second half of his career. Could his last dance unfold as an Oklahoma City homecoming or a storybook return to the Seattle SuperSonics if the NBA expands to 32 teams? And will Durant be the NBA’s second-leading all-time scorer when he finally hangs it up? — Golliver
Previous ranking: 2
It’s definitely interesting that the Rockets have slipped a little for the future rankings, but I’m sure at least part of that can be explained by trading 23-year-old (at the time) Jalen Green for 38-year-old Kevin Durant. Barring the Rockets winning a title, Durant likely has one more year in H-town after this at the most. His player option also means Durant could easily go after this year unless the Rockets make a major leap this season. The fit is awkward, the chemistry is off, and even though $46 mill is a lot of money, the NBA’s ultimate loyalty-less gun for hire can make close to that pretty much anywhere, provided his game doesn’t fall off of a cliff this year. The other question is, if the Rockets aren’t where they hope they’d be by the new year, do they move KD at the deadline rather than lose him for nothing if he opts out in the offseason?
Anyway, enough about the future. The Rockets are about to start basketball. Here are your dates to watch:
Sept. 22: Media Day
Sept. 23: Training camp begins
Oct. 9: Rockets vs. Mavericks — Macao
Oct. 11: Rockets vs. Mavericks — Macao
Oct. 15: Rockets vs. Thunder — Houston
Oct. 21: Regular-season opener vs. Mavericks — Houston
