\u201cI will give you an inside betting tip that I think continuity is very, very likely,\u201d Rockets general manager Rafael Stone told reporters at Tuesday\u2019s end-of-season press conference.<\/p>\n
Though the Houston Rockets<\/a> have long been rumored as a potential marquee trade suitor<\/a> in the 2025 NBA offseason, general manager Rafael Stone said at Tuesday\u2019s end-of-season press conference that roster continuity is likely a safer bet.<\/p>\n \u201cI will give you an inside betting tip that I think continuity is very, very likely,\u201d Stone told reporters. \u201cLast summer, we didn\u2019t make changes because we were really comfortable with where we were, and we\u2019d seen really good things from our team in terms of kind of a good progression. And I think we saw more of the same this year. So I think the bar to make changes is very high.\u201d<\/p>\n The case for relative stability is easily understandable. The Rockets (52-30) finished with the NBA\u2019s fourth-best record and as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, and the majority of Houston\u2019s roster is young. They have seven first-round picks (Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore, and Reed Sheppard) from the last four NBA draft cycles, and all are currently 23 years old or younger.<\/p>\n So, the team is already starting from a relatively high 52-30 baseline, and significant portions of its roster are at a point in their careers where further growth and development is likely. Thus, combining assets to trade for an older, more expensive player with fewer prime seasons left is risky.<\/p>\n Last season, the Rockets were 41-41 and No. 11 in the West, which represents significant year-on-year growth and a clear upward trajectory.<\/p>\n Then again, if the player is elite enough (perhaps Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a>, a perennial All-Star and league MVP candidate) to perhaps lift Houston into immediate title contention, Stone did leave some wiggle room.<\/p>\n \u201cThe goal ultimately is to build a championship team,\u201d Stone said. \u201cIf we think there\u2019s a move or series of moves that make it more likely we will be that, then we would ignore continuity, and we\u2019d do those moves.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this week, the Rockets were eliminated<\/a> in a hard-fought, seven-game playoff series loss to Golden State.<\/p>\n \u201cThe business we\u2019re in, nobody\u2019s untouchable,\u201d Stone said. \u201cBut we deeply value everyone on our roster. We have those (future) picks<\/a>, we accumulated them so we could draft guys or upgrade our current roster. We\u2019ll see what makes the most sense.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlan A has always been to develop within our group.\u201d<\/p>\n