How they ace their offseason: You could make the argument Houston has done it already. In a period of two weeks, the Rockets traded for Kevin Durant and agreed to new contracts for Fred VanVleet, Aaron Holiday, Jae'Sean Tate and Jeff Green. They also signed coach Ime Udoka to an extension. The Durant trade was significant not just because the team acquired a top-10 player but also because its depth was kept largely intact.
One move they should make: Let's expand this to multiple moves. The first is to sign Dorian Finney-Smith (if he opts out of his contract with the Lakers) to a two-year, $28 million contract. The VanVleet restructured contract (they reduced his $44.9 million team option to nearly $20 million) gives Houston the flexibility to use the full non-tax midlevel exception and not exceed the first apron. The team would, however, need to waive the $8 million non-guaranteed contract of Jock Landale. The second and most important move is to sign Durant, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason to extensions. Smith and Eason are eligible to sign until Oct. 20, and Durant has until June 30, 2026, to take a two-year deal.