The Houston Rockets pushed the Golden State Warriors to the brink of elimination in the first round, but they couldn't quote send the veterans home. The Warriors showed their championship mettle on Sunday night with a dominant 103-89 win in Game 7 in Houston to advance to the second round.

Despite the loss, which will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of the Rockets and their fans, Houston still has a lot to build off of coming out of this season. This is a very young team that rose above many in the Western Conference on its way to the No. 2 seed. While they couldn't win the series against Golden State, Houston more than held its own.

After Game 7 finished up, Warriors forward Draymond Green gave a shoutout to the Rockets and talked about their future outlook moving forward.

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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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“I gained a lot of respect for that team throughout this series,” Green said. “One of the tougher series I've played in personally. That's a young team to be reckoned with. … I gained so much respect for those guys. (Alperen) Sengun is an incredible player. The way Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams led those guys, they had no experience and they took us to the brink. That team is gonna be a force to be reckoned with and I hope they understand it.”

Green went back and forth with Sengun and Adams game after game after the much smaller Warriors tried to hold their own on the interior with a big, physical Rockets squad.

Even in the loss, the Rockets' young players showed flashes of what makes them so tantalizing heading into next season. Sengun was able to score in the post throughout most of the seven games and Amen Thompson looks like he will be one of the best perimeter defenders in basketball for years to come. Jalen Green had a frustrating series, but his 38-point explosion in Game 2 is proof of the talent that he possesses. Even players like Jabari Smith Jr. showed 3-and-D prowess over the last few weeks.

The Rockets have some tough decisions to make this offseason, namely whether to package some of their young players together to try and bring in a star player. Regardless, things are looking good for this Rockets team after a breakout season.