Rockets' Front Office Viewed as the 'Créme de la Créme'

The Houston Rockets' front office has caught a ton of flack of late. The team entered the season with expectations of potentially being the best threat to the Oklahoma City Thunder's chances of repeating as NBA champions.

Now, fans have grown weary of Rockets coach Ime Udoka. Along with general manager Rafael Stone.

Granted, fans can be fickle. That's always been the case.

In all of sports.

But it still drives home the point that things can change fast.

The Rockets made the decision to trade for Kevin Durant last summer, in a deal that was easily a bargain, especially when considering what Durant has done this season and what the Rockets gave up for him.

Especially in comparison to what we've seen teams give up for players like Jaren Jackson Jr., Mikal Bridges and Desmond Bane.

The latter was moved for five first-round draft picks.

Bridges was moved for five first-round draft picks (four unprotected), an unprotected first-round pick swap and a second-round draft pick.

Jackson went for three first-round draft picks along with young players like Walter Clayton Jr. and Taylor Hendricks.

Remember what Durant went for?

Five second-round draft picks, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and the tenth overall pick in a relatively weaker 2025 draft class.

There was a belief that the Rockets gave up too much. And made a relatively win-now move to acquire Durant, when they're still ways away (and pieces away).

Durant is 37-years-old.

How much longer can he be expected to remain at this level? What if Houston doesn't win a championship during that time frame?

According to well-respected writer Chris Kline, the Rockets (and their fanbase) need not worry.

"The Houston Rockets were able to acquire Kevin Durant for pennies on the dollar. When that chapter ends, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson should still be at the front-end of their primes, with other quality assets such as Reed Sheppard, Tari Eason and even Jabari Smith Jr. in the mix. Houston has a ton of picks left to dangle for immediate upgrades, with the chance to build a true war chest of this current group flames out and Rafael Stone decides to hit the reset button. Houston's front office is the créme de la créme."

All told, the Rockets have 11 first-round draft picks over the next decade, which is tied with the fourth-most picks during that timespan, alongside the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz.