TITLE: Rockets project 2026-27 leap with healthy veterans and developing young core
SLUG: rockets-eye-2026-27-improvement-young-core-contracts
CONTENT:
Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone and head coach Ime Udoka met with reporters on Monday, four days after the club’s second consecutive first-round playoff exit. Both executives described the 2025-26 season as “frustrating” and “disappointing,” despite a 52-win campaign.
Udoka: “We still should have won”
Udoka said the roster, even with injuries, was capable of advancing past the Los Angeles Lakers. “As constructed and with what we had, we still feel we should have won more than 52 (games). Still should have won the first-round series,” he told the media, noting that both teams dealt with injuries.
Health and growth targeted for 2026-27
Stone predicted improvement next season with guard Fred VanVleet and center Steven Adams expected to be fully recovered for opening night. He also challenged the club’s young nucleus — Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard, Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson — to make significant strides. “My expectation is that Tari, Jabari, Reed, Alpi and Amen all need to be way better basketball players next year, and I think they should be,” Stone said.
Contract calls on Eason and Thompson
Eason becomes a restricted free agent this summer, while Thompson is eligible for a rookie-scale extension. Although Stone acknowledged circumstances can change, he said he is “high on both players” and expects them to remain with the Rockets long term.
Re-signing Eason would likely push Houston into the luxury tax for a second straight year, but Stone indicated governor Tilman Fertitta is prepared to pay. “I don’t see Tilman ever wanting to take a step back that isn’t strategic,” Stone said. “If we weren’t (in the tax), it’s because of some opportunity to do something else that is basketball-related.”
Deadline decision and shooting search
Asked why the team did not acquire a point guard after VanVleet’s injury, Stone said the available options were not two-way contributors. “No one guards (some point guards) after they make the initial pass and then on the other end, they’re just a sieve,” he explained.
The front office would like to add perimeter shooting this offseason, Stone added, but only if the player can help in other areas. “Trying to find a quality player who, maybe their strength is shooting, I think that makes some sense,” he said.
Key offseason questions
Among the issues Houston will track in the coming months: whether Eason stays, the parameters of a Thompson extension, and whether VanVleet will negotiate a new contract instead of exercising his $25 million player option for 2026-27.
Source: Hoops Rumors
