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Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets reacts during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Toyota Center on January 15, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)

The Houston Rockets’ season ended in a lackluster fashion after bowing to the LA Lakers, who were missing Luka Doncic and, for most of the first-round series, Austin Reaves due to injuries. A new report pointed to one problem in the locker room that may have spelled the beginning of the end for the team during the season. 

According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Tim MacMahon, Kevin Durant’s moodiness wore the team out throughout the season, during which they finished fifth in the Western Conference despite missing veteran guard Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams for most of the year. 

VanVleet and Adams, two veterans who would have stood as leaders for the Rockets throughout the season, would have given the team more support in dealing with such dilemmas. 

“Team sources said his ‘moodiness’ took some getting used to and wore on the team’s young players throughout the campaign, a dynamic that was exacerbated without VanVleet and Adams as buffers,” the report reads. 

The report added that the locker room situation got worse when Durant’s burner account scandal was leaked during the All-Star weekend in February. 

“That dynamic grew increasingly complex as the season dragged on, beginning with a burner account scandal,” he said. 

The Rockets still benefited from Durant’s individual brilliance, putting up 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game in the regular season, but he was hit with a knee injury in the playoffs, forcing him to miss five of the six games in the first-round series. 

Against the Lakers, the Rockets went down 0-3 in the series. They won Games 4 and 5 but ultimately wrapped up their season in Game 6 in Los Angeles. 

Durant, seen as the ceiling-raiser for the Rockets in the offseason, was traded to Houston from the Phoenix Suns last year. He has yet to win a playoff series since 2023. 

Durant’s Social Media Leaks Never Truly Got Resolved

GettyKevin Durant’s leaked social media activity caused tension within the Houston Rockets‘ locker room.

According to a different report by The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Durant’s social media leaks lingered since they came out in February. 

The alleged burner account conversations involved Durant criticizing his Rockets teammates. 

The magnitude of the situation was kept in-house, and everyone agreed to keep within the locker room. Nevertheless, it never truly got resolved, the report said. 

“Several league sources with close ties to Rockets players indicated the social media situation was a significant distraction, one that was never truly resolved internally,” it reads. “Durant never discussed the matter in any detail publicly, saying only that he was “not here to get into Twitter nonsense.” 

“Privately, league sources said his teammates agreed to keep the matter in-house while focusing on basketball. It is unclear whether Durant ever clarified to his teammates if the account belonged to him.”

The disconnect between Durant and his teammates was obvious in the playoffs, as some Rockets players did not know how his rehab was going while playing against the Lakers. 

Durant Will Remain Part of Rockets’ Future

Kevin Durant is expected to remain a part of the Rockets’ future.

Despite the challenges this season, Kevin Durant will remain a valued part of the Rockets’ future, according to Shelbourne’s ESPN story. 

“Despite the loss, multiple high-level team sources still believe their young core can contend for the next decade. Those same sources said Udoka will remain an essential part of the team’s future. Durant too,” it reads. 

Durant, who has played 18 seasons in the NBA, will turn 38 years old next season, an age far from the timeline of the Rockets’ young core.