Report: Rockets will watch trade market closely amid questions about Giannis, Zion, Book, K.D.

The Houston Rockets exceeded expectations this season, winning 52 games before meeting the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.

It marked Houston’s first playoff appearance in several years, and the squad certainly rose to the occasion, but it wasn’t quite enough to advance, as the Rockets lost to the Warriors in a seven-game battle.

Now, the Rockets can turn their attention to the offseason, and they have a lot of options to explore. According to a report, Houston is going to monitor the trade market “closely” and hold “internal discussions about potential fits and offers.”

Some big names could hit the rumor mill this offseason, as stars like Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Zion Williamson and Devin Booker are all in situations with their teams that warrant questions about their futures.

“Because of its youth, talent, draft capital and current position in the NBA — an exciting team on the rise — Houston will be a natural landing spot for bigger names this summer,” The Athletic’s Kelly Iko wrote. “Houston’s brass hoped to go as far as possible in the playoffs but is using this current campaign as data collection, a good tool for immediate and future evaluation. The likes of Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Zion Williamson, and Devin Booker will be linked in the rumor mill in the coming weeks, all with different pros and cons depending on Houston’s direction. Team sources say the Rockets will monitor the market closely and will hold internal discussions about potential fits and offers.”

The Rockets showed an incredible amount of fight in their series against the Warriors. Although Houston was the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, Golden State (the No. 7 seed) was favored going into the series. The Rockets then fell behind 3-1 through four games before clawing back to tie the series at 3-3, forcing a Game 7 in Houston.

Unfortunately for the Rockets, Golden State proved to be too much in the do-or-die game, with the Warriors winning a defensive battle in Game 7 to survive the series and advance to the second round.

To end a special season without a series win is certainly a tough pill to swallow for Houston, but the team has a bright future and could expedite its path to title contention this offseason with a trade for a big name.

Some of the aforementioned players are in situations that are naturally worth monitoring as the offseason begins to come into focus for many NBA teams.

Durant and Booker are two stars on a Phoenix Suns team that simply hasn’t enjoyed enough success in recent years.

Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, is the face of a Milwaukee Bucks team that just lost star guard Damian Lillard to a torn Achilles, impacting the organization’s trajectory.

Williamson, for his part, may need a change of scenery to get his career back on track individually, and the New Orleans Pelicans may need to try something new as well since they haven’t won a playoff series since 2018.

Of course, there are no guarantees about how anything will unfold, but there may be some options this offseason for teams that are looking to add some star power. The Rockets appear to be at least one team to monitor.