Keep the present and win the future. Is it reasonable to have three of the strongest teams in the past five years in front of the Rockets?

The Rockets are undoubtedly one of the biggest winners in the free market this offseason. Media analysts believe that the strong aids the Rockets have obtained through trading this year are not only serving the 25-26 season, but also radiating to the next few years. They have the ability to compete for the NBA championship now, and even if they fail to win this year, they have the ability to continue to compete for the championship in the coming years.

ESPN recently published an article ranking the top five teams in future first-round draft picks, with the Rockets ranked fourth. There is no doubt that this is a secret to success - that is, to keep the present and win the future.

The Rockets also lost a draft pick next summer, that is, the top four protected signs in the trade between Paul and Westbrook, and this sign is likely to be taken away by the Thunder (the Rockets are basically impossible to get the top four in Lotto). This is the price the Rockets paid for a bad deal. After that, all the draft picks were in their own hands.

ESPN considers the Rockets’ 2027 and 2029 Suns draft picks to be their most valuable asset. The 2027 draft pick is attractive because it is expected to enter the lottery zone, and the Suns are in the process of rebuilding their young roster and will face challenges in the near term. It's also a valuable bargaining chip if the Rockets decide to continue buying the moment to compete with Durant, 37, this is also a valuable trading chip.

The only regret is that 2027 is widely believed to be another young draft year, and some executives believe that this will be the weakest draft in recent years, both from the perspective of the United States and internationally.

The most popular among American high school students is forward Tyran Stokes, who stands out among his peers at Nike Skills Academy, but he needs to keep improving to consolidate his position as the No. 1 pick, even in a potentially relatively weak draft.

But the 2029 draft pick is more attractive as the Rockets will receive the best picks from both Phoenix and Dallas. So, everything is fine. The Rockets are in a superior position. It's hard to imagine which team in the NBA can be in a better position than them.

Of course, the Rockets are not the team with the best draft picks. The Rockets are only ranked fourth, with the top three being the Nets, Jazz and Thunder.

The Nets have a lot of draft capital. They play in a favorable market. But in the short term, they are also far behind the Rockets. The Nets' 2025 draft was widely criticized, and it seems that even if they have a large number of draft picks, they will not choose the right player. The situation for the second-place Jazz is different, but no one in their young core can stand out like Shin Kyung or Amen. When it comes to market attractiveness, they have no influence. Let’s omit the rest. Maybe the Jazz can build a championship team, but they are not the Rockets' most concerned.

But the strongest team in the league is currently, and their future is even more terrifying than the Rockets. However, what really made the Rockets wary of may be the Thunder who are also the Western Conference team. Not only do they have a richer future draft pick, they are also the defending champions who have just been crowned. The Thunder's current team building, salary structure and draft assets almost define what "the future has come."

This also reminds people of the former Fire War - the Rockets and the Thunder are likely to form a competitive pattern of similar intensity in the next five years. The two teams are on similar timelines, but each has different team building philosophy and resource advantages.

It can be said that the Rockets are writing their future in a very forward-looking way. They neither blindly overdraw draft capital nor fall into a cycle of complete reconstruction, but instead find a rare balance between competition and accumulation. This strategic vision may be their strongest confidence to ultimately strive for the championship.