Houston Rockets Hesitant To Hand Kevin Durant Massive Extension Before 2025/26

Earlier this offseason, the Houston Rockets made a blockbuster trade, landing superstar forward Kevin Durant to round out what may now be one of the deepest lineups in the NBA. In Houston, KD joins Alperen Sengun, Fred VanVleet, Tari Eason, and Amen Thompson, among others, with the belief around the NBA being that they'll be among the top three teams in the Western Conference.

At 36 years of age, Durant may not be the player he once was, but given the package that Houston gave up to land him, it's easy to see that they and the rest of the NBA still think very highly of him.

However, according to recent reports from ESPN's Tim McMahon, the Rockets aren't ready to go all-in on Durant and offer him the contract he's eligible for right now.

“The Rockets aren’t going to go all-in — by all appearances and by what I’ve heard — they’re not going all-in on an extension for Kevin Durant. Now, doesn’t mean it won’t happen. But there have been rumblings of, ‘Hey, KD is not going to push for the full max.’ I don’t know that the Rockets are going to put anything on the table that’s close to the max.

“I think the Rockets are like, ‘it’s not ideal,’ but I don’t think they would panic if they go into the season with Durant on the contract that he’s on, just on the expiring deal.”

That's not to say that the Rockets won't extend Durant after he put up 27, 6, and 4 for the Suns last season, but it simply means they're comfortable going into the season with him on an expiring deal.