Kevin Durant reveals plans for future with Rockets
The Houston Rockets have a new superstar in town with Kevin Durant being traded to the team by the Phoenix Suns over the summer.
During Rockets Media Day, Durant gave some clarity on what he sees for his future in Houston moving forward. He seems very open to signing a contract extension with the team, via ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“I do see myself signing a contract extension,” Durant said Monday, his 37th birthday. “I can’t tell you exactly when that will happen, but I do see it happening.”
According to Windhorst, Durant can sign a two-year extension with the Rockets.
Durant is eligible to sign a two-year extension for more than $120 million if he were to sign for the maximum. The Rockets, who are in the midst of contract extension talks with wing Tari Eason and recently extended forward Jabari Smith Jr. on a five-year deal for $122 million, are faced with managing their expanding payroll over the next few years. That could factor into the Durant talks.
Obviously, Durant’s situation could drastically change over the course of the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season, as there’s no telling where this Rockets team will go, especially after recently losing veteran guard Fred VanVleet to a torn ACL.
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However, he’s pretty fond of head coach Ime Udoka, so that might be the reason he’s open to signing an extension so quickly in his stint with the Rockets.
“I wasn’t expecting to leave Phoenix that quickly, but that’s just the nature of the game,” Durant said. “So I quickly just thought about who I was comfortable with. … Ime has always been one of those guys that understood what I brought to the table and my mentality and my approach to the game. He always respected that and gave me my space to be me. So that was one of the first things I thought about.”
The next order of business for the Rockets will be figuring out the backcourt situation with VanVleet more than likely missing the entire 2025-26 campaign. Houston could turn to Amen Thompson and or Reed Sheppard to help shoulder the load or the team could try to bring in help via trade.
