2.04 meters, the five small teams of the Rockets team Durant + Shen Jing s double towers, the substitute renews the contract to stay in the team

On June 28, undercurrents surged during the NBA offseason. While Houston Rockets fans were still immersed in the ecstasy of superstar Kevin Durant joining, the management had quietly started another silent game: the three experienced "dressing room ballast stones" - Tate, Holiday and veteran Green, are about to receive contract renewal recognition; while the name of young forward Cam Whitmore appeared in the center of the vortex of many transactions.

Last season's regular season, Tate averaged 3.6 points and 2.3 rebounds, Holiday averaged 5.5 points and 1.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists, and Green 5.4 points and 1.8 rebounds. Data is dull, but it carries unquantifiable value. In the locker room, on the defensive end, and in the stalemate moment of the game, their experience and resilience are indispensable stabilizers for young Rockets to hit higher goals.

In just 13 days, the Rockets management has reshaped the team's future with the thunder: Durant airborne the Space City, Steven Adams renewed his contract to stabilize the inside, coach Uduka stayed at the position to set the tone, and core point guard Van Vreet successfully renewed his contract. Locking against Tate, Holiday and Green is the underlying support for the Aerospace City to carefully strengthen the championship blueprint after the stars shine.

The cruel contrast with the stability of the veterans is Whitmore's swaying fate. Rockets reporter Kelly Iko confirmed that the third-year wing has become the core issue of transaction negotiations. Whitmore played in 51 games this season and only started three times, with averaging from 18.7 minutes in the rookie year to 16.2 minutes. With 9.4 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist, 44.4% shooting percentage and 35.5% three-point shooting percentage seem to be difficult to impress a team that is determined to win the championship. The Rockets' ambitions for the new season are obvious in the paper strength of the starting lineup: Van Vreet is at the helm, the energetic Amen Thompson assists, Durant and Jabbarry Smith's forward double towers are very deterrent, and Shin Kyung is in the inside. Based on the second-place finish in the Western Conference last season, Durant's joining was like injecting nuclear fuel into the Rockets, with the goal aiming directly to the championship.

Durant's light illuminated Houston's ambitions, but also cast a shadow of reality. When a superstar arrives, the persistence of the character player and the flow of young talent become two sides of the coin. Whitmore's possible departure is the first "opportunity cost" paid by the Rockets for their dream of winning the championship - when growth space is squeezed, the transaction may become a cruel way out for the young man to regain the stage.

NBA's championship puzzle is never poured out by youth and blood, but a cold mosaic after precision calculations. Every move of the Rockets during the offseason confirms the sober philosophy of "the present is the future". The Tate's contract renewal is a passing on the torch of team culture, and Whitmore's trading rumors reveal the cruel nature of professional sports: when supernova arrives, the young light must also make way for ultimate glory. The next journey of Aerospace City has started at the fork in the fate of veterans and rookies.