The Houston Rockets have gone under the radar this offseason. They did not make major moves or add any star so far, but they are expected to remain a threat in the Western Conference with one big return.
The team is seen to re-integrate former NBA champion point guard Fred VanVleet for next season to add firepower to the team’s core, bannered by Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr.
Smith Jr. is banking on VanVleet’s return to the court for next season after missing the entire 2025-2026 NBA campaign, where the Rockets finished with a 52-30 record and the fifth seed in the Western Conference before losing in the first round of the playoffs.
“Fred’s return is also going to be huge for us. And above all, everyone will be a year older,” he said on his interview with Chiney Ogwumike on her show, “Chiney Today” on ESPN. “We’ll be better, more mature. I really think you’re going to see a much better team next season.”
“I think you’re going to see a team much more accustomed to playing together. We had added Kevin Durant last year, and it naturally took some time to adjust to him and to his way of playing. Obviously, anyone can play with KD, but you have to learn his habits and his preferences.”
Houston Rockets Are In Dire Need Of Fred VanVleet
GettyHOUSTON, TEXAS – APRIL 30: Fred VanVleet #5 of the Houston Rockets shoots the ball against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on April 30, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
VanVleet, a part of the 2019 NBA championship team with the Toronto Raptors, missed the entire 2025–26 NBA season after suffering a torn right ACL and meniscus during an offseason team workout in the Bahamas in September 2025.
He recently exercised his $25 million player option for the 2026-2027 season and is targeting a return for the upcoming preseason.
Without VanVleet, the Rockets handed the playmaking duties to Amen Thompson, who is not a natural point guard, and Reed Sheppard, who only has two NBA seasons under his belt.
This proved costly in the playoffs, where they were outplayed by a 41-year-old LeBron James, who ran the Los Angeles Lakers throughout their first-round clash en route to their victory.
VanVleet, also a former NBA All-Star, brings in a championship pedigree to a team full of inexperienced stars and an aging superstar in Kevin Durant.
Fred VanVleet Gets Candid On Houston Rockets Return Next Season
GettyHOUSTON, TEXAS – APRIL 26: Kevin Durant #7 and Fred Vanvleet #5 of the Houston Rockets sit on the bench during the second quarter of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Four of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Toyota Center on April 26, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Fred VanVleet cannot wait to get back on the court for the Houston Rockets next season.
In his interview with Andscape, VanVleet got candid about playing in the preseason and getting ready for the NBA grind once again.
“I’ll be very disappointed if I’m not playing in the preseason. What I missed the most was the outlet, the exertion, the escape of whatever our lives are in our worlds. I took for granted a lot of things of what I do because I just have been doing it every day for my whole life,” VanVleet said.
“But the mental escape and the physical exertion of getting that energy out and wanting to bump people and cuss at referees, to have the highs and the lows and the failure and the success, I really just love every aspect of the game. So, to have that taken away from me was very humbling and eye-opening.”
He also expressed his confidence that the Rockets are built to win the NBA title next year.
“We can win a championship next year. But that’s internal,” VanVleet said.
The Rockets are expected to be one of the contenders in the Western Conference alongside the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs among others.
Major NBA Champion Identified To Boost Houston Rockets Next Season