With the Rockets eliminated earlier than expected as a No. 2 seed, the team will head back to the drawing board to figure out where it all went wrong. This could lead them to trad

Stein goes on to say that the consistent Durant-to-Houston rumors are basically just a function of Houston having so many Phoenix draft picks, that it simply makes sense from a logistical perspective. The Rockets have expressed no formal interest in Durant, and in fact, it seems more like the opposite: Houston is not interested at all.

In the newest episode of the Hoop Collective podcast, MacMahon pointed to his earlier reporting on the Rockets' desire to land a star who more closely matches the age of their young roster. On the podcast, MacMahon said the "Kevin Durant timeline thing" is a consideration for the front office.