In short, the Rockets engineered a perfect balance: they bet big by adding Durant, and they stayed disciplined by not overcommitting long-term. That duality is rare. Many teams would’ve overpaid or sacrificed future flexibility — but Houston refused.

But just weeks later, the Rockets rocked the NBA by landing future Hall of Fame forward Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns. They also added veteran 3-and-D forward Dorian Finney-Smith and veteran center Clint Capela, and many feel they have a real shot at winning it all.