Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet was issued a technical foul and ejected in the final seconds of Saturday's 104-98 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers and then pointed his finger in the official's face as he left the court.

VanVleet was called for an offensive foul on an inbounds pass before he expressed his frustration.

Crew Chief Courtney Kirkland told the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen in a pool report interview that VanVleet was "ejected on one technical foul for his vulgar language and pointing at all three officials."

The pool report also included the following exchange:

"QUESTION: In the last minute, there was no call on the attempted 3-point field goal right before the technical foul. What was the ruling there where that contact didn't constitute a foul?

"KIRKLAND: In live action, we felt that the defender stayed directly on the path of VanVleet during his attempted motion toward the basket. After video review, we see the defender did close space and did make contact with the hip of VanVleet and a foul should have been called. However, shots would not have been awarded on the play."

It was the end of a disappointing night for VanVleet, who went 4-of-13 from the field and 0-of-6 from three-point range with just eight points in the loss. He was the only member of Houston's starting lineup who did not score in double figures.

On the other side, the Trail Blazers had three starters score at least 22 points with Anfernee Simons leading the way with 25 points. Shaedon Sharpe added 24, while Jerami Grant finished with 22.

The loss ended a two-game winning streak for VanVleet and the Rockets, although they are still an impressive 12-6 on the campaign. They ended up splitting back-to-back home games against Portland on Friday and Saturday and will not face the team again until a Jan. 18 road matchup.

Next up for the Rockets is a two-game road trip against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday and Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.

The Houston Rockets reportedly aren't interested in "breaking up their core" to pursue a potential trade for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

Instead, the team "remains focused on developing its young players as a collective."

There have been reports that rival teams believe Houston could be a possible suitor for Giannis at some point, given their young core and future draft assets.

But it's hard to imagine a scenario where the Bucks, despite a disappointing 5-9 start, put Antetokounmpo on the trade block this season. There would be better ways to right the ship than trading the most popular star in franchise history—firing head coach Doc Rivers, shaking up the core group or stars around him, etc.

The Rockets should nonetheless be commended for taking a patient approach. The team is 10-5 this season, built around a group of up-and-coming stars like Alperen Şengün (17.5 PPG, 11.1 RPG), Jalen Green (19.7 PPG), Jabari Smith Jr. (11.2 PPG, 6.7 RPG) and Amen Thompson (11.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG).

(It should be noted that Houston got off to a strong start last year too, going 13-9 before finishing 41-41 and missing a Play-In Tournament berth.)

The team also has solid veterans in Fred Van Vleet and Dillon Brooks and younger role players like Tari Eason and Cam Whitmore. The depth is impressive, and the Rockets don't need to drain it by entering win-now mode or going star-hunting. Given the timeline of their younger players, restraint is the right approach.

At some point, of course, they may need to make a decision on which young players to build around and which could be used to acquire more star power. Şengün, in particular, is a safe bet to be around for the long haul. There's little need to take that leap now, however, especially if a true difference-maker like Giannis probably isn't available anyway.

NBA league sources are reportedly monitoring the possibility of the Houston Rockets attempting to trade for Milwaukee Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in the future.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant is the Rockets' "dream trade target," but the Suns have been "adamant" about wanting to keep him.

Provided the Rockets are unable to make any progress on the KD front, Stein noted that rival teams are "monitoring a potential down-the-road Houston pursuit" of Antetokounmpo.

Giannis, who will turn 30 next month, is in the midst of his 12th NBA season, all of which have been spent with the Bucks.

The eight-time All-Star, two-time NBA MVP, one-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, one-time NBA champion and one-time NBA Finals MVP is enjoying another excellent individual season thus far in 2024-25.

Through 12 games, he is leading the NBA with 32.3 points per game to go along with 12.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals, while also shooting 60.6 percent from the field.

Despite Antetokounmpo's dominance, the Bucks are a highly disappointing 4-9 and could be in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

Prior to signing a five-year, $228.2 million maximum contract extension with the Bucks in 2020, there were plenty of rumors and speculation regarding a potential Giannis trade, but he doubled down on his commitment to the franchise last year by signing a three-year, $175.37 million extension through the 2026-27 campaign with a player option for 2027-28.

However, with the aging core of Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez failing to produce winning results so far this season, it is fair to wonder if the Milwaukee front office could soon look to tear things down.

Should that happen, the Rockets would be an obvious trade candidate due to the bevy of draft picks and young players they possess.

After winning 22 or fewer games in three straight seasons, the Rockets took a big step forward last season by going 41-41.

So far this season, they are 9-4 thanks to up-and-coming players such as Jalen Green, Alperen Şengün, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson contributing in a significant way.

While the Rockets' future is bright, adding a superstar like Giannis to the roster could accelerate the timeline to contend for a championship in a major way, so it is a move they must at least consider if it becomes a real possibility.

There may come a time when the Houston Rockets need to leverage some of their young stars into more proven talent. There not at that point yet with Amen Thompson or Tari Eason, though.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Friday the Rockets have been indicating to other teams that "they aren't interested in trading much of their young core right now."

"Draft steal Tari Eason, for example, has been drawing attention for the past year but has been labeled off limits, sources said," Windhorst said. "Same for last year's lottery pick Amen Thompson."

He added that Houston broadly "likes its hand" in terms of its roster and an 8-4 start.

Eason, who was limited to 22 appearances in 2023-24, is averaging 12.2 points on 55.0 percent shooting through 12 games. The 23-year-old has become a more efficient scorer without losing his effectiveness on the glass or on defense.

Thompson, meanwhile, is making some positive strides. He's coming off an 18-point and 11-rebound showing in Wednesday's 111-103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Athletic's John Hollinger highlighted how good Eason and Thompson have been together on the floor.

"Units featuring Eason and partner in chaos [Thompson] have outscored opponents by 17.6 points per 100 possessions so far, with a sterling 100.2 defensive rating," he wrote.

Rockets general manager Rafael Stone will have to make some tough decisions sooner or later. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, it's going to be tough for Houston to pay all of its younger players.

Eason and Jabari Smith Jr. are eligible to become restricted free agents in 2026. Thompson and Cam Whitmore can hit the open market in 2027. A year later, it will be Reed Sheppard's turn. Jalen Green, who has already signed a three-year extension, can opt out as early as 2027 too.

Some sort of consolidation trade is inevitable.

Even assuming ownership is willing to spend into the luxury tax, a team needs to be sure it has a championship-caliber squad if it's going to cope with the penalties stemming from surpassing the first or second tax apron.

As currently constructed, the Rockets are showing promise but will likely need to add at least one big star down the road to become a serious contender.

Stone doesn't need to rush that process right now since simply reaching the playoffs would be a great sign of progress.

The Houston Rockets unveiled their City Edition jerseys for the 2024-25 season on Friday.

The uniforms are designed to honor the 30th anniversary of the franchise's back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995, according to the team.

The Rockets are scheduled to wear the City Edition uniform for 13 home games this season, starting with a Nov. 20 contest against the Indiana Pacers.

Every home game during which the Rockets are slated to wear the City Edition uniforms at Toyota Center is listed below (h/t the NBA's Locker Vision.)

Rockets' 2024-25 City Edition uniform schedule

• Wednesday, Nov. 20 v. Indiana Pacers
• Saturday, Nov. 23 v. Portland Trail Blazers
• Friday, Dec. 27 v. Minnesota Timberwolves
• Sunday, Jan. 5 v. Los Angeles Lakers
• Wednesday, Feb. 12 v. Phoenix Suns
• Thursday, Feb. 15 v. Golden State Warriors
• Tuesday, Feb. 25 v. Milwaukee Bucks
• Wednesday, Feb. 26 v. San Antonio Spurs
• Monday, March 10 v. Orlando Magic
• Wednesday, March 12 v. Phoenix Suns
• Monday, March 17 v. Philadelphia 76ers
• Sunday, March 23 v. Denver Nuggets
• Friday, April 4 v. Oklahoma City Thunder

The trim on the City Edition uniform shorts imitates the shape of the Rockets' back-to-back championship banners, according to the team.

The shorts also bear a patch displaying the center logo of the Summit Center, the former home of the Rockets before the team moved to Toyota Center before the 2003-04 season.

The back of the jerseys are stitched with the signatures of former Rockets stars Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, above the slogan "BELIEVE IT! AGAIN!" that was embraced by Houston fans during the team's 1995 title run.

Jalen Green has averaged a career-high 22.6 points through eight games to help the Rockets get off to a 5-3 start to the season. The team has won four of its last five games heading into Friday, most recently claiming a definitive 127-100 win over Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

Houston has not recorded a winning season since 2020. The Rockets will hope they remain on pace to break that streak by the time they don the 2024-25 City Edition jerseys for the first time in Game 16.

For now, the team will focus on taking on the 7-1 Oklahoma City Thunder when Friday night's home game tips off at 8 p.m. ET.

The Houston Rockets are a potential suitor for Jimmy Butler if the Miami Heat decide to trade the star forward, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

"The Rockets are also increasingly mentioned by monitoring rivals as a team to watch should Miami ever reach a point that it chooses to explore its trade options with Jimmy Butler, who grew up some 30 miles away from Houston in Tomball, Texas," Stein wrote on Sunday.

Butler could enter free agency in 2025 by declining his $52.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season after he was unable to agree to a contract extension with the Heat over the summer.

Team president Pat Riley revealed that he hasn't had "a lot of conversation" with Butler surrounding the forward's future with the organization and has talked to his agent "at times," per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding his long-term outlook with the organization, the Heat may not be willing to part ways with the star. Shams Charania reported for The Athletic in June that Miami has "shown no interest" in trading Butler.

The Heat have opened the 2024-25 season with a 1-1 record, with the six-time All-Star wrapping up contrasting performances. Butler dropped a mere three points on 1-8 shooting in a season-opening loss to the Orlando Magic.

He bounced back in Miami's second contest, scoring 26 points and dishing out eight assists while shooting 46.7 percent from the field. Butler also pulled down eight rebounds and recorded two steals.

It's difficult to imagine the Heat looking to move Butler as they attempt to secure a sixth consecutive playoff appearance, although Riley could be willing to listen to offers if they struggle to open the season.

Butler doesn't exactly match the timeline of a Rockets team led by 22-year-old guard Jalen Green and 22-year-old center Alperen Şengün, but his presence could be enough to help Houston end its playoff drought.

The Rockets' win total has increased in each of the past three seasons, but they still haven't advanced to the postseason since their 2019-20 campaign. In order to get over the hump, general manager Rafael Stone could look to acquire Butler if the Heat can't stay consistent.

After their failed attempt to land Kevin Durant in the offseason, the Houston Rockets aren't expected to be in the market for a star player during the regular season.

Per ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Rockets are putting the word out that they don't intend to make a "major trade" during the 2024-25 campaign.

The Rockets had one of those curious moments early in the offseason that set off some alarm bells when they made a deal with the Brooklyn Nets involving multiple draft picks, including a 2027 first-rounder that originally belonged to the Phoenix Suns.

Former ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported at the time that the Rockets made the deal with the Nets with the goal of putting together a package for Durant that would entice the Suns by giving them some of their own picks back that were originally used to acquire the 14-time All-Star from Brooklyn in February 2023.

Suns governor Mat Ishbia threw cold water on any potential Durant trade by publicly stating on X that the team wasn't interested in trading him because their goal was to compete for a championship in 2024-25.

The Rockets may not be looking to make a move right now, but they have positioned themselves well to potentially do something significant in the future.

Alperen Şengün and Jalen Green both agreed to extensions before Monday's deadline for players on rookie deals to receive long-term contracts. Şengün's extension is for $185 million over five years. Green got $105 million over three years with a player option for $36 million in the final season.

Windhorst noted the structure of Green's deal was "unusual," with executives and agents around the league believing it was signed to eventually be included as part of a trade.

One reason the Rockets may not be expected to make a major trade is that there aren't a lot of obvious star players who are available. The timing of Lauri Markkanen signing a five-year, $238 million extension with the Utah Jazz on Aug. 7 means he can't be traded during the season.

Brandon Ingram, who is in the final season of his contract, doesn't seem to have a robust market after the New Orleans Pelicans dangled him in trade talks during the summer with no movement.

Zach LaVine is in a similar position to Ingram as a good player, but not maybe a difference-maker on a team looking to make the playoffs. His value is also hampered by being owed $89 million over the next two seasons on top of having a $49 million player option for 2026-27.

The Rockets are probably better off playing things out with their current core this season, seeing if they can make the playoffs and explore the trade market next summer when there might be true All-Star-level players available rather than trying to force an in-season deal.

There is reportedly a belief within the NBA that the new contract guard Jalen Green signed with the Houston Rockets this week was designed to make him easy to trade should the Rockets decide to move on from him.

Speaking on his Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast (beginning at the 8:26 mark), ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst said "a lot of people in the league" believe the Green contract was signed with the option to be traded.

Green signed a three-year, $106 million contract with a player option for 2027-28, meaning he can opt out after two years if he so chooses.

Per ESPN's Shams Charania, it is a unique deal in that it is the first rookie extension in NBA history to both be worth nine figures and to include a player option after two seasons.

Although the short-term nature of the deal makes Green quite easy to trade, Windhorst clarified that it is far from guaranteed that he will be traded at some point.

Green made history in 2021 as the highest-drafted player to ever come out of the G League, going No. 2 overall to the Rockets.

After averaging a solid 17.3 points per game and finishing fourth in NBA Rookie of the Year voting in 2021-22, Green took a big leap forward the following season, averaging a career-high 22.1 points and 3.7 assists per game to go along with 3.7 rebounds and 2.5 three-pointers made.

Houston went just 22-60 in 2022-23, but it made some significant offseason additions in the form of Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, which pushed the team's record all the way up to 41-41.

Green's scoring took a bit of a hit with so much talent being added around him, but he still averaged 19.6 points, 3.5 assists and 2.5 three-pointers made per game to go along with a career-high 5.2 rebounds.

Perhaps most notably, Green improved significantly as a defensive player in his third season, recording 2.9 defensive win shares after finishing below 1.0 in each of his first two campaigns, per Basketball Reference.

If Green is going to take the next step in 2024-25 and beyond, the key will be improving his offensive efficiency.

For his career, Green is shooting just 42.1 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from beyond the arc. He has never reached the 43 percent mark from the floor or the 35 percent mark from deep in a single season.

Green's scoring potential is immense, however, which is likely why the Rockets committed so much money to him over the next two years.

Of course, the front office could ultimately decide that Green's lack of efficiency will make him expendable at some point, but teams will likely line up to trade for him if that happens given that he is still just 22 years old.

Green will get his fourth NBA season underway Wednesday when the Rockets host the Charlotte Hornets.

Coming off a breakout season, the Houston Rockets have rewarded Alperen Şengün with a contract extension.

Per ESPN's Bobby Marks, Şengün agreed to a five-year, $185 million rookie extension on Monday.

This offseason was the first time Şengün was eligible to sign an extension. He still has one year remaining on his rookie deal with a $5.4 million salary in 2024-25.

Originally selected No. 16 overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2021 NBA draft, Şengün was acquired by the Rockets for two future first-round draft picks.

Prior to the draft, Şengün spent three seasons playing professional basketball in Turkey from 2018 to '21. He was named the Turkish Basketball Super League MVP in his lone season with Beşiktaş in 2020-21.

Şengün showed promise as an NBA rookie with 9.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in 20.7 minutes per game over 72 appearances.

After moving into the starting lineup for the 2022-23 season, Şengün's performance got even better. He led the Rockets with 9.0 rebounds and ranked third on the team with 14.8 points in 75 appearances.

The 2023-24 campaign saw Şengün turn in a near-All-Star-level performance. He averaged career-highs in points (21.1), rebounds (9.3), assists (5.0) and steals (1.2) per game.

Şengün's season came to an early end when he suffered an ankle injury in the fourth quarter of a March 10 win over the Sacramento Kings. There was initially concern that he suffered a significant injury, but it was diagnosed as a severely sprained ankle and bruised knee.

The Rockets had hit their stride at the time of Şengün's injury. They were 4-1 in five games prior to him going down, and they were able to keep playing at a high level with an 11-game winning streak in which the final nine victories came without him in the lineup.

After making a big bet in free agency last offseason by signing Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks with the hope of accelerating their return to postseason contention, the Rockets got marked improvement from recent draft additions like Şengün, Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. to fill out their core.

There's still work to be done by the front office to make the Rockets a true threat in the playoffs because of how deep the Western Conference is right now, but building around Şengün, Green and Smith seems like an easy call.

Şengün's extension is an indication that the Rockets believe they are firmly on the right track.

The Houston Rockets reportedly signed guard Jalen Green to a three-year, $106 million rookie extension, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Green, 22, averaged 19.6 points on 42.3 percent shooting (33.2 percent from three), 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in his third NBA campaign last season.

The former No. 2 overall draft pick is a walking bucket at his best, notably dropping 42 points against the Washington Wizards on March 19 last season and adding 41 more versus the Utah Jazz four days later. Those two games were part of an eight-contest tear where he averaged 33.8 PPG.

Green had also been getting some love for his defensive improvement, including notes via Kelly Iko of The Athletic and Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle.

Despite his scoring abilities, age and potential, there were trade murmurs surrounding him last year.

Zach Lowe, then of ESPN, reported in January that Green was an "under-the-radar" name that NBA executives pointed out as potentially being made available. To be clear, Lowe didn't say that Houston was shopping Green, but rather that he could potentially be heading elsewhere should the right deal emerge.

Matt Moore of Action Network additionally reported in January that there was "no indication they'll look to make a major move with the starters despite a lot of awkward sideways glances in the direction of former 2nd overall pick Jalen Green. The team remains committed to helping Green find his role on a better team."

Green remained a Rocket post-trade deadline. But Houston notably added Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard with the No. 3 overall draft pick, naturally adding more questions about Green's future in town.

Parallel to all this has been Green's contract. The former G League Ignite star entered the 2024 offseason with one year left on his deal for $12.4 million before he could enter restricted free agency. He entered the 2024 offseason eligible for a max five-year, $225 million rookie scale contract extension, although the Rockets and Green could also come to terms on a lesser agreement.

Ultimately, the Rockets were able to agree with Green on an extension, keeping him in town as Houston attempts to continue its ascent up the Western Conference standings.