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The Houston Rockets aren’t as far away from championship contention as many seem to believe.
After losing Fred VanVleet to a season-ending ACL injury before the start of the year, there were concerns that the franchise could find itself fighting for a playoff spot one year after securing the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
Impressively, the Rockets proved everyone wrong by finishing 5th in the West and ending the first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers on a respectable note (they won two of their final three games after falling into a 3-0 hole). With the perfect offseason move, Houston could become a sleeper title contender in 2026-27.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley’s intriguing blockbuster trade idea wouldn’t move the Rockets any closer to that goal, though, as it would swap a former Golden State Warriors superstar for a struggling former Los Angeles Lakers forward.
“Minnesota (Timberwolves) should try making another run at Houston Rockets star swingman—and (Anthony) Edwards' idol and Team USA teammate—Kevin Durant,” Buckley wrote Tuesday. “The scoring savant was his typically super-productive and hyper-efficient self during his first season in Space City, but the club never coalesced, and the locker room read like a chemistry experiment gone wrong.”
“If the Wolves, who have this year's 28th and 59th picks, could sell the Rockets on a package built around that first, Julius Randle (mostly for salary-matching purposes) and a sweetener or two (Joan Beringer or Terrence Shannon Jr. perhaps), they could have a dream co-star for Edwards and a counterpunch for opponents who overload him with defensive attention.”
“The Rockets, who don't have a first-round pick at the moment, could ease their win-now pressure and lengthen the runway for the under-24 core of Amen Thompson, Alperen Şengün, Reed Sheppard, and Jabari Smith Jr.”
Replacing Durant with Randle likely wouldn’t move the needle for most of the Rockets’ fan base, and it would be hard to blame them. While Randle was the sole reason for the Timberwolves’ second-round playoff loss to the San Antonio Spurs, his undisciplined play certainly didn’t help Minnesota’s cause.
The three-time All-Star was turnover-prone all series long and didn’t shoot the ball well from the field or from three (he averaged 12.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and three turnovers while shooting 34.2% from the field and 19.0% from beyond the arc).
If the Rockets are content with taking a step back in 2026-27, they may not have a problem adding Randle to the fold this summer.
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