When Kevin Durant appears on the team, the Houston Rockets have expensive teams, but ultimately they are competitors.
The Houston Rockets had an incredible offseason and made some moves to take advantage of the strong 52-win season they’re starting.
To begin the offseason, the Rockets traded from Kevin Durant and the Suns.
The Rockets have a great free agency period and sign some key names on the roster. Perhaps their best move was to bring Dorian Finney Smith to Houston.
Competition for the NBA Championship is said to be an expensive ordeal in one or more ways. Well, in the simplest sense of the term, rockets definitely pay a big price.
The Houston Rockets are one of the most expensive teams in the NBA, with a total salary of around $2 million.
This is what makes the Rockets payroll seem like next season.
| player | 2025-26 Salary |
| Kevin Durant | $54,708,608 |
| Alperen Senn | $33,944,954 |
| Fred Vanvrit | $25,000,000 |
| Stephen Adams | $14,130,434 |
| Dorian Finney Smith | $12,700,000 |
| Jabari Smith | $12,350,392 |
| Reed Shepherd | $10,603,560 |
| Amen Thompson | $9,690,212 |
| Clint Capella | $6,700,000 |
| Tali Eason | $5,675,766 |
| Jeff Green | $3,634,153 |
| Josh Okogee | $3,080,921 |
| Aaron Holiday | $3,080,921 |
| Jae’sean Tate | $2,667,947 |
| Cam Matthews | $1,272,870 |
| JD Davison (bidirectional) | $636,435 |
| Isaiah Crawford (two-way) | $636,435 |
| Kevon Harris (bidirectional) | $636,435 |
| total | $201,150,043 |
There is no doubt that the Houston Rockets are paying this high wage bill in hopes that it will help them win the NBA Championship.
However, if you fail to win the title, it must be countered by smart negotiation. The Rockets refuse to provide Durant with maximum extensions.
As things stand, Durant is willing to take a $22 million salary cut on his next contract. Perhaps it’s a sign that he plans to stay with the team for a long period of time.
Either way, the Rockets don’t deal with his desire to stay for years as an excuse for not winning the NBA Championship.