Only 1 million, Rockets operations lay hidden dangers! Durant s salary cut to stay in the team? Stone may miscalculate

Although the Houston Rockets have paid more bargaining chips in the operation of signing Kevin Durant, no preliminary consensus has been reached on renewal. Although there is no clear news that Stone will deliberately lower the price and refuse to provide a maximum salary contract, considering the current situation of the team, such signs have begun to appear. After completing the contract renewal with Van Vleet, Jabarry Smith Jr. and Adams during the offseason, the free salary space is used for signing contracts in the free market. The joining of Finney Smith and Capela has indeed improved the team's immediate combat power, but the team's total salary next season is already beyond the luxury line, and there is only 1 million operational space away from the first rich line.

However, this embarrassing situation in front of us is by no means a temporary obstacle, but will be covered in the future like a cloud. The wheels of time roll forward. When the curtain of the 2026 offseason slowly opens, the Houston Rockets operated by Stone will surely fall into a severe storm. By then, the outstanding performance of Amen Thompson and Tari Ethan makes contract renewal an inevitable move. But behind this is a huge salary requirement that is astronomical. Given the NBA's strict luxury tax rules, once the team's total salary crosses the red line, it will face a heavy financial burden. Under this double pressure, the Rockets management is very likely to follow in the footsteps of the Boston Celtics. In order to avoid luxury tax, he reluctantly dismantled the originally competitive championship lineup in advance.

As for Kevin Durant, who just joined the Rockets, the Rockets' senior management's attitude towards his contract renewal is just like the current situation of the Los Angeles Lakers treating LeBron James. In their eyes, whether Durant can end his brilliant career with the Rockets is no longer a crucial matter. If Durant chooses to stay, the team's strength and reputation can be improved to a higher level. However, if he finally decides to leave, the team will not be able to recover. The team still has a group of young and promising players who are eager to prove themselves on the field and support the team's future.

It can be seen that the old stars of the past ultimately cannot beat the people's hearts. In their eyes, even if they have super scoring ability, it is undeniable that they have now become the "burden" of the team. Stars who have lost their core position and tactical dominance seem to be able to silently make more space for young people to play. Considering all the above, the lineup and money need to be balanced. If Adu is willing to stay in Houston until he retires, he must accept a contract that is lower than the maximum salary.

As for the books, the management of the Housing City is a bit unkind. You should know that Durant, 36, was still a big killer in the league last season. With a serious injury healed, he can still play a highlight performance of 25.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game. In addition, his shooting percentage has reached the top level, and 51.7% is a miracle. However, the outside world and even the media are not surprised by such performance, but they are particularly concerned about his potential injuries and loyalty. After all, the practice of running away from Thunder and joining the Golden State Warriors directly changed the alliance's ecological environment.

However, Stephen A-Smith, who is a famous mouth, also seemed to have tasted melons. He said on the show that there are five players worth paying attention to in the new season, and Kevin Durant ranks third on the list. Indeed, with the lessons from last season, Adu's ability to lead the team has been questioned. Now he needs to lead this popular team to prove his value by showing results. But everything is not that easy. According to the forecast of the new season combat power rankings released by ESPN, the Houston Rockets are only ranked fourth. Perhaps this result is unexpected, but they seem to have no chance of winning against the defending champion Thunder and the Denver Nuggets who have just completed the reinforcement. Then, Durant's future is still confusing.