In light of star Kevin Durant agreeing to a two-year contract extension with the Houston Rockets, fans of the team no longer have to worry about him leaving in free agency next summer. He’s under contract for the foreseeable future and doesn’t have a player option in his deal until the 2027-28 campaign.
Ahead of his team debut versus the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Durant touched on his future with the squad and indicated he could see himself playing in Houston until he retires from the NBA.
“I can see myself retiring here and being a Rocket until it’s over with,” Durant said. “And I hate saying this. I don’t know what’s going to happen on down the line. But as of today, yeah, that’s how I feel. I just feel like I’m at a good point in my career where I know what I do is effective on the court. Why not try to keep getting better at it, keep maintaining and keep focusing on new things to get better?”
The Rockets paid a pretty penny in order to acquire Durant, so it only makes sense that they extended him and didn’t want to run the risk of losing him for nothing in the summer of 2026.
Houston traded a package highlighted by guard Jalen Green to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for the four-time scoring champion. Green, who’s just 23 years old, was the leading scorer on a Rockets team that secured the No. 2 seed in a highly competitive Western Conference last season.
For as talented a scorer as Green is, Durant is on a different stratosphere when it comes to getting buckets, and his acquisition raises Houston’s ceiling noticeably.
Adding an all-time great scorer to a youthful core that accomplished so much last season could be the recipe for the Rockets to win their first title in over 30 years in 2026. Even if they don’t win it all this season, they have a nucleus intact that should have them in title contention for years to come.
But Durant and company can send a message to the basketball world that they’re ready to win at a high level already by knocking off the Thunder on the road on Tuesday. A big scoring night from Durant against his old team should be enough for the Rockets to steal a win and upset the defending champions.
Rockets fans should expect to see countless gaudy scoring performances from Durant in the coming years, even at his advanced age, now that he’s under contract with them for a good while.
