The Houston Rockets have ascended into the contending tier of the NBA, and it's thanks in large part to the incredible development from their young core led by Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Jalen Green, just to name a few. But the Rockets could very well cement themselves as a contender for the Larry O'Brien trophy in 2025 if they manage to swing a trade for a star, and dating back to the offseason, they have been setting their sights on one of the Phoenix Suns' stars in Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

The Suns mortgaged their future in recent years to bring Durant (and Bradley Beal) in to try and contend for a title and yet they have fallen way short of expectations. Now, it's unclear whether or not they'd be willing to just give up on their contending dreams, especially with Jimmy Butler doing everything short of begging just to be sent away by the Miami Heat, but the Rockets could be a team to swoop in for Durant or Booker if push comes to shove.

As reiterated by The Athletic, the Rockets are “likely to revisit” their interest in Booker prior to this year's trade deadline and they are “contemplating a pursuit of Durant as well”.

The Rockets have plenty of trade assets at their disposal, and they have been ripe for a consolidation trade for quite some time now. Adding someone like Booker or Durant could be the final piece of the championship puzzle for them, although it will be up to the Suns if they will decide to cut their losses and start anew.

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The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
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Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard (15) reacts after a play during the game against the Toronto Raptors at Toyota Center.
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Will the Rockets' involvement in Mikal Bridges trade pay off?

Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone (right) talks with Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) before the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Toyota Center.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

While the Rockets themselves did not make any blockbuster moves in the offseason, they managed to insert themselves in the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks' trade involving Mikal Bridges. The Rockets greased the wheels of that trade, as they decided to give the Nets back the first-round picks they relinquished in the James Harden trade of 2021 in exchange for the unprotected picks the Suns surrendered in the Kevin Durant trade of 2023.

The Rockets made this trade with the intention of enticing the Suns to give them one of their star players so they could get their first-round picks back and hit the reset button without worry of surrendering a valuable draft asset. Only time will tell, however, if this will pay off for them.