As things stand, Kevin Durant has a player option to enter free agency in the 2027 offseason.
But according to Rockets general manager Rafael Stone, all signs point to the All-Star forward wanting to remain in Houston.
At Tuesday’s media day to preview the upcoming 2026-27 season, Stone was asked about Durant’s fit and future with the franchise.
Stone told Rockets Wire:
I think his fit has been really good. You can ask him in a half-hour, but it for sure feels like he’s really happy to be here. He’s been a good teammate.
Ime (Udoka) knew him well, I didn’t know him at all, but I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him. He’s actually probably the easiest, or along with Yao (Ming) maybe the easiest going guy of that stature that I’ve been around in the NBA.
He just wants to hoop, which fits great with our culture. I’ve really enjoyed it.
With a guy like that, you want to be respectful of his career and everything else. And so we’ll definitely sit down and talk at the end of this year, just like we did at the end of last year. But I have every expectation that he’s going to be just as happy, if not happier, than he was this offseason. And the one thing he wanted to make very clear to me, coming out of last year, was just how much he’d enjoyed it, and just how much he wanted to be here. And it’s been mutual, from our perspective.
Durant is entering his 20th NBA season, and he turns 38 years old next week. Over his two decades in the league, he’s played in six different markets and for five different franchises, and change has been relatively constant.
With that in mind, when asked by Rockets Wire whether he’s given any thought to Houston being his final NBA home, Durant said he isn’t thinking in those terms.
Durant is, however, happy with the current arrangement as he enters his second season with the Rockets. Among his comments:
I’m not thinking about anything like that. I’ve enjoyed coming into work every day, and it’s been fun going through this process with everybody.
Like I said, I’m taking it one day at a time. That’s the most I can do. Who knows what will happen down the line or in the future, but right now I enjoy showing up for work.
Durant earned All-NBA Second Team honors last season, but he unfortunately missed most of the 2026 playoffs (Houston’s first-round series loss to the Los Angeles Lakers) due to ill-timed injuries.
With that in mind, Udoka has spoken throughout this offseason about wanting to reduce Durant’s minutes in 2026-27, presumably in an effort to keep him fresher and healthier entering the 2027 playoffs.
If the Rockets are good enough to put away regular-season games earlier, Durant is on board with that plan. But he doesn’t want it to come at the expense of wins.
“The team is better when I’m on the court,” Durant said. “If we handle our business in the first three quarters or earlier in the game, then maybe. But just for the sake of (lowering) my minutes because I’m older or I’ve played a lot... that’s what I’m supposed to be training for. It’s to play 48 minutes a night.”
“I get the concern. But if the game needs me out there, I want to be out there.”
As for Udoka’s side of things, the coach made it clear Tuesday that last season’s team results simply weren’t good enough. Ultimately, a better outcome there might resolve any minutes conundrum.
“We had a decent regular season (52-30), due to (injury) circumstances, but it could have been a lot better,” said Udoka, who noted that 18 of those 30 losses featured blown double digit leads.
“We’re not here to just make the first round. We want to make some real noise. I think everybody’s hungry for that.”
Internally, the hope is that continued development from younger players and adding veterans like Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams, and Marcus Smart to the 2026-27 rotation will make Houston a better team.
That could be the ticket to getting Durant rest that he might not want but probably needs. And simultaneously, that success could lay the groundwork for a Durant-Rockets partnership extending well into the future.
“I still smile!”@KDTrey5 on his 20th NBA Media Day... and reminiscing about his first 🥲📸😁 pic.twitter.com/2PqZLUfCUB
— NBA (@NBA) September 22, 2026
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Entering second season together, Rockets see ‘happy’ Kevin Durant
