Rockets Notes: Durant, Eason, Udoka, Stone, Sengun

After falling in seven games last season in the first playoff appearance for their young core, the Rockets traded for Kevin Durant to help them reach a higher level. The next moves are uncertain following this year’s first-round loss to the short-handed Lakers, write William Guillory and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Durant missed almost the entire playoff series, first with a right knee contusion that kept him out of Game 1, then with a left ankle sprain and bone bruise that sidelined him for Games 3 through 6. His lone appearance featured 23 points, six rebounds and four assists along with nine turnovers in a Game 2 loss.

Coach Ime Udoka provided an update on Durant prior to Friday’s game, indicating that he wasn’t close to returning, Guillory tweets.

“The mobility is probably the biggest (issue),” Udoka said. “There is some pain. That’s something he’d have to tolerate. … Certain movements are bothering him for sure. He’s done some things on-court, but he’s limited with those. When you can’t do specific movements that hurt you or bother you, you can’t progress.”

The 37-year-old Durant was productive and surprisingly durable during his first season in Houston, leading the team in scoring and finishing second in the league in minutes while playing 78 games. However, Guillory and Amick confirm that he harmed team chemistry during the All-Star break by allegedly trashing current and former teammates – including Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. – while using a burner account in group chats.

Several league sources with close ties to Rockets players confirm to the authors that the controversy brought a “significant distraction” to the team that was “never truly resolved internally.” Teammates reportedly agreed to keep their reactions to the situation private, and it’s not clear if Durant admitted that the accounts belonged to him.

Lingering bitterness over that situation is one of several factors that could determine whether Durant remains with the team next season. At $43.9MM, he’ll be the highest-paid player on a team that’s hovering close to the tax line, and he holds a $46MM player option for 2027/28, so he’ll essentially be entering the season with an expiring contract. Guillory and Amick also cite concerns that the offense stagnated around Durant and Sengun, as teammates were unable to consistently hit shots to give them room to operate.

There’s more from Houston:

• Working out a new contract for restricted free agent Tari Eason will be among the Rockets’ offseason priorities, Guillory and Amick add. They report that the sides came close to an agreement worth more than $100MM before the October deadline, but decided to revisit negotiations this summer. While Eason appears to be a good investment at age 24, the authors point out that the roster is already becoming expensive, and Amen Thompson may sign a five-year extension valued at more than $250MM.
• There are no plans to replace either Udoka or general manager Rafael Stone, sources tell Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports. Ownership still has confidence in the team’s leadership structure, according to Iko, believing that the Rockets aren’t far behind Oklahoma City and San Antonio with Durant, Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams all healthy. However, nothing is off the table in terms of upgrading the roster, Iko adds.
• Sengun, who has been mentioned as a possible trade chip if the Rockets pursue another star, addressed those rumors in a post-game session with the media on Friday, relays Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. “I cannot do anything about those conversations,” Sengun said. “It is what it is. You stay with it. That’s the front office’s job to do it. I cannot do anything about it. But wherever I go or stay over here, I’m just going to stick with it, doing what I’m doing.”