The Houston Rockets were one of the biggest surprises of the season, making a major jump to the No. 2 seed after being .500 last year. Things have clicked with the team as their young guys have figured it out, and the veterans are bringing their experience. The jury may still be out on how far they can go in the playoffs, but there's no doubt that people see the vision with this team, and one of those people seems to be Kevin Durant, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

“There's going to be a level of mutual interest, there has been already, with them and Kevin Durant with the Suns,” Charania said on NBA Today. “If they win a couple of rounds, they might be good where they're at. If you lose early and you don't win enough to where you want to, could you look at a guy like Kevin Durant once again this offseason? Monitor them.”

Durant and the Suns both seem open to finding him a new home in the offseason with the way the season ended for them, and there will be several teams looking to trade for him. The Rockets were rumored to be interested in Devin Booker, but it looks like that will never happen. Instead, they do have a chance to acquire Durant.

They may not have to give up much to trade for him and still be a competitive team, and with the team still being quite young, it could be a nice fit for Durant to take on a leadership role and help them get to the next level.

Article Continues Below

How far can the Rockets go in the playoffs?

The Western Conference was the most competitive it's been in years past, and the Rockets were able to come out with the No. 2 seed. Their young core of Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, and Alperen Sengun has stepped up and played some of their best basketball this season, which has helped the Rockets be competitive this season, while veterans such as Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks have fit in nicely and given the team a backbone.

Head coach Ime Udoka should get a lot of credit for getting the team to buy in and play good basketball, and he's shown throughout his time in the league that he can get the most out of his players.

Most of the players may not have the playoff experience, but if they compete like they've done all season, they can make some noise when it matters the most.