Rockets' First-Round Series Will Gauge Offseason

The Houston Rockets' offseason is perhaps the least of the organization's concerns at this point in the year, as they gear up for the NBA playoffs. The Rockets will take on the Golden State Warriors in what should be an entertaining first-round series, as Houston's young, up-and-coming core will take on an experienced Warriors squad hitting its stride.

The two biggest goals for the Rockets should be to win and get good postseason experience. The majority of the core hasn't even sniffed high-stakes games like the playoffs, so Houston is playing with less to lose. What should have been another developmental year in the rebuild turned into a 50-win season and the second seed in the Western Conference.

With that being said, the Rockets have the opportunity to make win-now moves this offseason regardless of a first-round exit or not. They've been linked to some high-profile names such as Kevin Durant and LaMelo Ball.

If Houston loses early in the playoffs, the organization should certainly entertain the idea of acquiring a big-time player in a win-now trade. The Rockets have plenty of assets to spare, including young talent that doesn't see many minutes, and draft picks to spare, specifically first-round picks from the Phoenix Suns in 2025 and 2027.

If Houston moves on from the first round and potentially hits its stride in the playoffs, then the team should be good where it's at. However, a first-round loss could signal a big move for experienced, win-now talent.

Of course, one could signal to teams being impatient as a reason for the Rockets to keep their core together and not change anything. The Suns are a prime example, making the NBA Finals in 2021 and then moving out much of their core for Durant and Bradley Beal. The moves haven't panned out, and now Phoenix is likely to shake things up this summer.

But Houston is a different story. The biggest point is the team's excess amount of assets that wouldn't drastically affect the core. The Rockets can make major moves without messing up much of the core, like other teams in the past.