Rockets' General Manager Rafael Stone's Job is Reportedly Safe

Should it be?

May 1, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone watches warm ups prior to game six of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Rafael Stone faced a daunting task when taking the Houston Rockets' General Manager position in 2020. For a number of reasons.

For starters, he was a first time executive tasked with replacing Daryl Morey, one of the league's better general managers at the time. In fact, some even viewed Morey asthebest front office executive.

Stone had to make pivotal decisions that would affect the franchise in a major way over the long haul. First off, the Rockets needed to hire a coach, as Mike D'Antoni's -- the winningest coach in team history-- was unable to come to terms on a new deal with the franchise. Stephen Silas was selected as the team's new coach.

Then, Stone needed to trade his All-NBA backcourt, as Russell Westbrook and eventually James Harden both requested to be dealt. Once both players were moved, the stage was set for the Rockets to undergo a rebuild (or reset, if you will).

The Rockets went 17-55, 20-62 and 22-60 in three consecutive seasons and landed three consecutive top-four draft picks by way of the draft lottery. The Rockets had luck on their side.

Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson were all selected with those picks. Stone and the Rockets also added Alperen Sengun and Tari Eason outside of the lottery in consecutive seasons.

The team ultimately parted with Silas and hired Ime Udoka, who became available as a result of an off the court scandal during his lone season with the Boston Celtics and saw immediate improvement, going 41-41 and making a legitimate push for the play-in tournament in the first season under Udoka.

The next two seasons saw an identical 52-30 record, albeit with much different stakes. The team made the postseason both years but were also first-round exits both years. And many were calling for Stone’s ouster.

However, based on the latest reporting, that likely won't be happening, as Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports shut down the speculation.

"At this juncture, there are no plans to move on from either Udoka or general manager Rafael Stone, sources told Yahoo Sports. Ownership has remained steadfast in its belief in a three-pronged leadership sector because of a combination of the turnaround in recent years and consecutive 50-win seasons, the latter of which was marked by major injuries — resulting in confidence from the top down. One of the prevailing internal beliefs concerning this roster is assuming that VanVleet and Adams are healthy — along with Durant — the Rockets aren’t too far removed from Western Conference powers Oklahoma City and San Antonio."

Iko continued.

"Still, there is an understanding that the current roster, as constructed, is not a blue-chip contender, which is where Houston’s penchant for aggression comes in."

Stone and the Rockets failed to address their lack of point guard depth, which was an issue even before Fred VanVleet got injured and was an even greater issue afterwards. And Stone made perhaps the worst move throughout his six seasons last summer, when signing Dorian Finney-Smith, who didn't look like half the player that he was with the Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets or Los Angeles Lakers.

By the same token, Stone successfully pioneered the James Harden trade, netting three first-round draft picks and four first-round pick swaps. He also pulled off the Kevin Durant trade last summer, for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, one first round pick and five second round draft picks, which is the definition of pennies on the dollar.

All told, it was never quite a realistic proposition for the team to part with Stone, due to injuries and the fact that he received a comtract extension, much like Udoka, albeit one year earlier.