With an uncertain future, it's safe to assume that these three big questions will determine and help clarify the future for the Houston Rockets.
On paper, as Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta would say, the Rockets are a pretty deep team. However, what has been team's problem over the last couple of seasons is that they don't always play to their potential. But after making quite the jump in the Western Conference standings a year ago, this is a team that could be ready for another jump, perhaps even ready to compete for a playoff spot.
Despite the optimism heading into this season, the Rockets have a pretty uncertain future moving forward. Over the next year, this team's future will certainly be clarified by three big questions. Let's explore and break down each of them.
Will the Houston Rockets give Jalen Green or Alperen Sengun extensions?
With less than a month before the NBA's rookie scale extension deadline, one of the bigger questions for the Houston Rockets over the next few weeks is whether or not they will give Jalen Green and/or Alperen Sengun contract extensions. Both extensions could be costly and would tie up some valuable money over the foreseeable future.
Signing both Green and Sengun to long-term extensions would essentially tip this team's hand of what their future may hold. Ultimately, this decision for the Rockets may come down to whether or not they believe they could win in the future with Green and/or Sengun as their foundational centerpieces. Right now, I'm not sure if they have the answer to that question. That's probably the biggest reason why Houston hasn't finalized any extensions for them. Nevertheless, there's no question the answer to this question will directly impact the team's future.
What is the future plan for Fred VanVleet?
With a team option for the 2025-26 NBA season, this could end up being Fred VanVleet's final season in a Houston Rockets' uniform. But that's a $45 million question the team will have the length of the year to figure out. However, there's no question that this could be a big decision in determining the immediate future of the Rockets. If Houston elects to keep VanVleet on the roster, it will cut into a huge portion of the team's salary cap for the 2025-26 season. But if the Rockets do let him go, it will open a ton of money the team could theoretically use in free agency (depending on what other moves the team makes).
Either way, there's no question that all eyes will be on VanVleet and the Rockets heading into the start of the season. At this point, the team's level of success this season will likely have a huge hand in what they end up deciding with VanVleet.
VanVleet has been a good player for the Rockets but he was always viewed as somewhat of a stopgap. If Houston agrees with that, you'd have to imagine this could be the time when the Rockets elect to jump off the experiment to pursue other avenues.
When will be the right time to pull the trigger on a big trade?
The Houston Rockets don't just have a talented collection of young players but they also have a bevy of future first-round picks that they could possibly trade in a blockbuster deal at the NBA Trade Deadline or even next summer. The question for the Rockets is, do they believe right now is the right time to pull the trigger on a big deal? There's no doubt in my mind that the Rockets want to win and win now. They don't currently have the roster to do so. However, that could change in an instant if the team pulled the trigger on a blockbuster move.
The Rockets have the assets to make such a move; they need to find the right trade target and timing. Even though that doesn't appear to be the case at the moment, that could change at any moment. And the Rockets, perhaps more than any other middling team in the West, are in perfect position to strike a season-altering trade.
Where will the Rockets be a year from now? Who knows. But there's no question that they'll have plenty of options and possibilities. Before that, they have a few big decisions to make.