Kevin Durant just did something remarkable. At 37 years old, in his 17th NBA season, he was named to the All-NBA Second Team. It’s his 12th overall All-NBA selection — a feat achieved by only 12 other players in the history of the league.
That puts Durant in the company of legends: LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Karl Malone. The list is short. The company is elite.
But here’s the problem. The Rockets’ reliance on Durant — and on other aging veterans — is setting them up for an unsustainable future.
Durant was the best player on the Rockets this season. He played 78 games. He averaged 26 points on elite efficiency. He carried the team.
But he’s 37. He got hurt at the worst possible time — in the playoffs. And he wasn’t the only one.
Let me break down why the Rockets’ veteran-heavy construction is a ticking time bomb, what their path forward looks like, and why the future of the franchise rests on Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun.
The All-NBA Achievement: A Blessing and a Curse
Let me start with the good news.
Kevin Durant is still a top-10 player in the world. His All-NBA selection is proof. He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He’s a legend. The Rockets are lucky to have him.
But the selection also highlights a uncomfortable truth: the Rockets have no other All-NBA players. They have no other superstars. They have Durant, and then they have a drop-off.
In the Western Conference, that’s not enough.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (26 years old, MVP candidate). The San Antonio Spurs have Victor Wembanyama (22 years old, future face of the league). The Dallas Mavericks have Luka Dončić (27 years old). The Denver Nuggets have Nikola Jokic (31 years old).
The Rockets have a 37-year-old Durant and a collection of young players who aren’t ready yet.
The Injury Epidemic: VanVleet and Adams Go Down
Let me talk about the other veterans.
Fred VanVleet is 32 years old. He tore his ACL at the start of the season. He missed almost the entire year. He’s a question mark moving forward.
Steven Adams is 32 years old. He’s missed significant time with injuries. He’s a physical big man whose body is breaking down.
The Rockets relied on three aging players — Durant (37), VanVleet (32), and Adams (32) — to be their core. Two of them suffered major injuries. The third got hurt in the playoffs.
That’s not a sustainable model. That’s a recipe for disaster.
The Western Conference Arms Race: Youth Is King
Let me look at the competition.
The Thunder are terrifying. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is 26. Chet Holmgren is 24. Jalen Williams is 25. They’re young, they’re healthy, and they’re only getting better.
The Spurs have Victor Wembanyama. He’s 22. He’s already a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. He’s going to be the best player in the league within three years.
The Rockets have a 37-year-old Durant and a bunch of question marks.
Even if the Rockets win 50 games next season, can they beat the Thunder in a seven-game series? Can they beat the Spurs? Can they beat a healthy Nuggets team?
Probably not.
The Draft: Limited Options
Let me talk about the Rockets’ path to improvement.
The Rockets aren’t going to get high draft picks from their own performance. They’re too good for that. They’ll be picking in the 20s for the foreseeable future.
They do have the Phoenix Suns’ 2027 first-round pick. That could be valuable. The Suns are aging. They could be bad by then. But that’s two years away.
Drafting a superstar is unlikely without lottery luck. The Rockets can’t count on that.
Free Agency: Not a Destination
Let me be honest about Houston as a free-agent destination.
The Rockets have never been a hotbed for marquee free agents. Players don’t clamor to play in Houston the way they do in Los Angeles, Miami, or New York.
The biggest free-agent signing in Rockets history? Probably Dwight Howard in 2013. That was over a decade ago.
The Rockets can’t rely on signing a superstar. That’s not realistic.
Trades: Hit-or-Miss
Let me talk about the trade market.
The Rockets traded for Kevin Durant. That worked out — mostly. But Durant was a unique situation. He wanted out of Brooklyn. The Rockets had the assets.
Not every superstar becomes available. And when they do, the price is astronomical. The Rockets would have to give up multiple first-round picks and young players.
That’s a risky strategy.
The Internal Solution: Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun
Let me talk about the Rockets’ best hope.
Amen Thompson is 23 years old. He’s a 6-foot-7 athletic freak with point guard skills. He’s already providing near-All-Star production. He’s getting better every month.
Alperen Sengun is 24 years old. He’s a 6-foot-11 Turkish sensation with post moves, passing ability, and an improving jumper. He’s already a top-10 center in the league.
These two are the future. They’re not Durant — not yet. But they could be.
If the Rockets are patient, if they let Thompson and Sengun develop, if they build around them instead of around Durant, they could have a sustainable contender in 3-5 years.
The question is: does the front office have that patience?
The Durant Timeline: One More Year?
Let me look at Durant’s contract.
Durant has one more year left on his deal (plus a player option). He’ll be 38 next season. He’s still great — but for how long?
The Rockets have a decision to make. Do they go all-in for one more year with Durant? Do they trade him for assets and start the rebuild around Thompson and Sengun?
There’s no right answer. Both options have risks.
Final Verdict: The Future Is Young
Here’s my honest take.
The Houston Rockets are living on borrowed time. Kevin Durant is brilliant, but he’s 37. Fred VanVleet is coming off a torn ACL. Steven Adams is breaking down. The Western Conference is full of young, terrifying teams.
The Rockets’ future isn’t Durant. It’s Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun.
The front office needs to recognize that. They need to start building around their young core. They need to stop relying on aging veterans who can’t stay healthy.
Durant is a legend. He deserved that All-NBA selection. But the Rockets’ long-term success depends on what comes after him.
One thing’s certain: The Rockets can’t keep running this same play. The clock is ticking. And the young stars are waiting.