The Houston Rockets were perhaps the biggest riser in the Western Conference this offseason — which is saying a lot for the No. 2 seed heading into the playoffs this spring.

But Houston took a leap from regular season curio with unproven youth to true contention when it traded for 15-time All-Star power forward Kevin Durant. The Rockets also signed rim-rolling center Clint Capela, 3-and-D swingman Dorian Finney-Smith, and shooting guard Josh Okogie, while re-signing point guard Fred VanVleet and center Steven Adams.

Houston also brought back wing Jae'Sean Tate, guard Aaron Holiday, and forward Jeff Green — although none of those players are rotation pieces for the club.

On a new episode of his podcast The Hoop Collective, ESPN's Tim MacMahon strongly suggested why Houston does not want to go all-in on a roster surrounding Durant.

“The Rockets aren’t going to go all-in — by all appearances and by what I’ve heard — they’re not going all-in on an extension for Kevin Durant,” MacMahon revealed. “Now, doesn’t mean it won’t happen. But there have been rumblings of, ‘Hey, KD is not going to push for the full max.’ I don’t know that the Rockets are going to put anything on the table that’s close to the max.

MORE NEWS: Rockets' move for Kevin Durant gives Houston one of NBA's top star trios

MacMahon's colleague at ESPN, Brian Windhorst, suggested that Houston seems to have a bigger-picture, longer-term plan in mind for the kinds of future Hall of Famers it wants to add around young stars Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith Jr.

“Watch how the way the Rockets have handled their business this summer. They have handled their business to maximize cap space in 2027," Windhorst said. "So you look at Fred VanVleet’s contract, he has a player option but he’s up in 2027. He is off the books in 2027. Dorian Finney-Smith non-guaranteed in 2027.”

The 37-year-old could ink a maximum deal worth as much as $122 million across two seasons, but clearly the Rockets are looking to explore what could be a bonkers free agent market in 2027, which in addition to Durant could also potentially include three-time MVP Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and two-time MVP Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, should they decline their player options for 2027-28.

“Durant, if he does an extension, he can sign for two years, and that second year will be 2027-2028, but the Rockets’ actions indicate they are protecting space in 2027," Windhorst said. "I don’t know… keep that in mind as you think about what they’re going to do with Durant. I don’t think you should assume that Durant’s going to have a giant number on the plate for 2027-2028.”

MORE NEWS: Ex-NBA veteran sings high praise for Amen Thompson