New Rockets Rumors Update Kevin Durant, Ime Udoka's Future After Loss to Lakers in NBA Playoffs

The Houston Rockets' season came to an end in disappointing fashion with a 4-2 series loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.

When an experiment fails, it can be easy to want to make drastic changes, but it seems Houston has no plans to do that.

"Despite the loss, multiple high-level team sources still believe their young core can contend for the next decade," ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon reported. "Those same sources said (Ime) Udoka will remain an essential part of the team's future. (Kevin) Durant too."

The Rockets entered the season with title hopes after trading for Durant over the offseason, but they fell well short of those goals. Still, it's clear Houston is still capable of competing for a championship with its current roster.

Young pieces like Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson and others continued to develop this year, while rising star Alperen Sengun had another strong year. Durant, despite being 37 years old, had another All-NBA caliber year.

Not to mention, Fred VanVleet will be back in the mix next season after missing all of the 2025-26 campaign with a torn ACL.