Houston Rockets' Top 3 Priorities During 2026 NBA Offseason
The Houston Rockets definitely saw their 2026 NBA playoff run going differently in their minds.
Penciling them in as contenders became ambitious before the end of the regular season. Yet, even without Kevin Durant for a vast majority of the first round, they were supposed to beat a Los Angeles Lakers squad missing Luka Dončić the entire series, and Austin Reaves most of it.
Houston instead finds itself stumbling into the offseason, browbeaten and facing wholesale questions.
Which three items should top their to-do list? Let's map 'em out.
3. Tari Eason's Restricted Free Agency
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Quick aside: Hashing out Ime Udoka's future would rank among the top-three priorities if there was any chance of Rockets governor Tillman Ferreira footing the bill for a head coach the team just extended last offseason. That isn't happening (right?). So, let it be known that making sure he's on board with the organization's vision and its should-be list of most important players has become a necessary side quest.
That brings us to Tari Eason's restricted free agency. Though there isn't enough cap space floating around to create a feeding frenzy, he will be in high demand as one of the league's preeminent chaos-creating three-and-D wings.
The Rockets can match any offer Eason receives, but shouldn't let it get that far. Getting on the same page with him first maximizes their options—including potential sign-and-trades.
This isn't to say Eason is expendable. Houston just needs to consider its long-term finances. Re-signing Eason will take them into the luxury tax, with an extension for Amen Thompson looming.
Whether the soon-to-be 25-year-old is worth $20-plus million a season might be a conversation the Rockets need to have. He was lights out from three for much of 2025-26, but cooled off by the end of the schedule and into the playoffs. The defensive anarchy he inflicts was also a notch or three lower than what we've come to expect.
If Houston doesn't want to bankroll whatever the market determines he's worth, it should seek to facilitate a sign-and-trade. More preferably, though, it will keep him and decongest the short- and long-term cap sheet by rerouting Dorian Finney-Smith and/or Clint Capela.
2. Amen Thompson's Extension Eligibility
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Amen Thompson is eligible to sign an extension this summer and will almost assuredly try to get the max. Here is what that could look like if the Rockets play ball:
On a related note: Houston should not acquiesce to a max-contract demand. Thompson is a nuclear athlete with viable handles and footwork and among the league's most impactful defenders. But his near-total absence of perimeter touch inherently caps an offense that doesn't have a floor-spacing 5, let alone bankable shooters on the wings.
Negotiating rookie extensions has been a strong suit of the current Rockets regime. They got Alperen Şengün and Jabari Smith Jr. locked up on fairly palatable long-term deals. That same energy must be brought into discussions with Thompson, and they should be prepared to let the matter ride into next summer if his side insists on a max pact.
Houston has even more of an incentive to draw a line in the sand if it's looking to prioritize optionality. Thompson becomes much harder to trade prior to the 2027 offseason should he sign an extension. While he's not someone the front office should be hocking to anyone who will listen, the Rockets' 2025-26 was shaky enough that they should be on the prowl for some pretty big fish.
Thompson's extension eligibility is effectively an inflection point for how much faith they have in him as a cornerstone of both the present and future.
1. Trade for a Primary Offensive Option
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Please spare yourself the indignity of claiming this Rockets squad is a healthy Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams away from the inner circle of title contention. They need to aim higher if they're serious about causing a raucous in the West.
Swinging for the fences doesn't automatically equate to "Go get Giannis Antetokounmpo." A package built around Alperen Şengün and picks is worth a discussion if Milwaukee is inclined to bite. Veering into Amen Thompson-plus-picks territory is dicier—and, frankly, not worth it.
Houston needs more of a floor general who can make jumpers off the dribble and generate more ball and body movement in the half-court. The Rockets have already seen the limitations of attempting to approximate that with Şengün, Amen Thompson and Kevin Durant—who, by the way, will be entering his age-38 campaign.
Peak VanVleet was never really that player. Reed Sheppard doesn't look like he's that player, or that the Rockets trust him to become that player. And leaning on offensive rebounding to juice the possession battle can't be the bulwark of a championship blueprint.
Higher-profile names such as LaMelo Ball, Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Austin Reaves (sign-and-trade), Kyrie Irving and Jamal Murray should all be on the radar. Failing that, impactful alternatives like Ryan Rollins, Tyler Herro, Cam Spencer, Scotty Pippen Jr. and Payton Pritchard are all worth targeting.
Dan Favale is a National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.
