The Houston Rockets have spent the past year chasing the breakthrough they envisioned when they acquired Kevin Durant.
Instead, they enter another offseason searching for answers after a second consecutive first-round playoff exit.
That backdrop made veteran NBA analyst Zach Lowe‘s latest hypothetical impossible to ignore.
Speaking on The Zach Lowe Show, Lowe floated the idea of the Rockets pursuing Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry if the Warriors ever decided to trade the face of their franchise and begin a full-scale rebuild.
Lowe repeatedly emphasized the proposal was unlikely, but he believes Houston has one of the more compelling frameworks should Curry ever become available.
“Houston is on my list,” Lowe said. “Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard and some sort of draft assets. The Rockets would surely balk at it, including anything other than the players I mentioned, any draft assets at all.”
Even then, Lowe acknowledged Golden State would demand far more.
“No, remember this is Steph Curry,” Lowe said. “If I’m trading him and if you’re the Warriors, you’re gonna have to bowl me over.”
Still, Lowe couldn’t help but imagine the possibilities.
“Reunite Steph and KD in Houston when KD wouldn’t go to reunite with him in the Warriors,” Lowe said. “I think that’s actually interesting. I think that’s legit interesting.”
He added that including All-Star center Alperen Sengun would likely be “a bridge too far” for Houston before reminding listeners the entire discussion was “pie in the sky.”
Rockets’ Championship Urgency Makes Proposal Fascinating
The timing of Lowe’s proposal reflects the pressure surrounding Houston.
The Rockets have now suffered first-round playoff exits in consecutive seasons despite entering both series as the higher-seeded team. Golden State eliminated Houston in 2025, prompting the front office to make one of the biggest moves in franchise history by acquiring Durant last offseason in hopes of pushing a talented young roster into championship contention.
The blockbuster raised expectations but not the outcome.
Houston again fell in the opening round this spring, this time to a Los Angeles Lakers team playing without Luka Dončić. Durant missed Game 1 after bumping knees with a teammate during practice, returned for Game 2, then suffered a left ankle sprain and missed the rest of the series.
Without Durant for all but one game, Houston never had the healthy superstar it envisioned leading a deep postseason run.
Lowe’s guest, former NBA video coordinator Mo Dakhil, had considered a similar framework, although his version placed Alperen Sengun at the center of the return.
“I actually—that’s along the lines of what I had, with Sengun being the centerpiece, and I don’t think Houston would do it,” Dakhil said.
Stephen Curry-Kevin Durant Reunion Would Rewrite NBA Landscape
GettyStephen Curry and Kevin Durant celebrate after scoring in the men’s Gold Medal basketball match between France and USA during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris on August 10, 2024. Zach Lowe proposed a trade that will reunite Curry and Durant in Houston.
Dakhil believes the dynamic would differ significantly from previous speculation surrounding Durant and the Warriors.
“I think KD not wanting to go to Golden State is different than Steph Curry coming to KD,” Dakhil said. “I think that’s something where KD would be more open to that concept and that idea of having Steph on his team.”
He also noted Houston almost certainly would not entertain including Amen Thompson, who has emerged as one of the organization’s untouchable young cornerstones.
The proposal remains firmly hypothetical.
Curry has consistently maintained that he wants to finish his career with the Warriors, and the organization has given no indication it is considering moving the four-time NBA champion. Lowe acknowledged as much throughout the discussion.
Even so, Houston’s back-to-back early playoff exits have amplified the urgency to capitalize on Durant’s championship window. If Golden State ever chose a different direction, few teams could offer the combination of veteran contracts, young talent and draft capital that Houston possesses.
For now, Curry teaming with Durant again exists only as an offseason thought experiment, but it is one that speaks to just how aggressively the Rockets are expected to pursue a championship after two straight postseason disappointments.
Rockets Proposed to Reunite Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant in Blockbuster Trade