The Houston Rockets probably won’t be involved in some of the splashiest moves after NBA free agency officially begins at 5 p.m. CDT Tuesday, but they will be one of the most intriguing teams to keep an eye on this offseason.Anything involving Kevin Durant and his ongoing battle to maintain his place among the elite will draw intrigue. And despite everything that went wrong with this group last season — and some of it falls at Durant’s feet — having a year of experience together and improved health with key veterans will only make this roster tougher to deal with once all the pieces come together.However, the Rockets understand that catching up to the last two Western Conference champions, San Antonio and Oklahoma City, will require key acquisitions to address the weaknesses that repeatedly hurt them last season.At the end of last season, Rockets coach Ime Udoka mentioned that the two areas he wanted addressed in the offseason were perimeter shooting and more variety in the rotation.As of now, the Rockets are heading into free agency with limited financial flexibility to make major changes. They have 10 players under contract — excluding restricted free agent Tari Eason and second-round pick Bruce Thornton — and only about $21.5 million worth of room below the projected first-apron threshold. The one obvious move this team can nail down is inking a long-term extension with two-way ace Amen Thompson. Other than that, it’s a bit of a mystery what comes next.Here are some of the biggest questions Houston will be facing this offseason:What does Fred VanVleet’s present and future look like?The first bit of free-agency news that hit Houston this week was veteran point guard Fred VanVleet exercising his $25 million player option for the 2026-27 season on Monday, league sources told The Athletic.VanVleet, 32, missed the entire 2025-26 season with a torn right ACL, and his decision didn’t come as much of a surprise. But picking up the option opened new avenues for Houston as it looks for ways to improve this summer.The obvious path the team hopes to take is to insert VanVleet back into the starting lineup on opening night and have him pick up where he left off before his devastating injury last September. However, VanVleet caused a stir among Rockets fans when he said on a recent recording of his “Unguarded” podcast that he tore both the ACL and the meniscus in his right knee last summer before saying more plainly, “My knee exploded.” Those are three words you never want to hear your starting point guard utter.But it’s not just VanVleet’s words that are causing some concerns. The Rockets’ recent actions also suggest the possibility that VanVleet’s injury may be even more serious than initially anticipated.The team traded up to draft Thornton, a 22-year-old point guard with four years of playing experience at Ohio State, with the 31st pick. Then, Houston exercised its $2.5 million team option for 23-year-old point guard JD Davison on Monday. That’s two more young point guards on a roster that already has Thompson and Reed Sheppard.What's the greatest NBA draft class ever?Tifo SportsThe Athletic’s Dan Woike reported that there’s increasing chatter around the league that veteran point guard Marcus Smart is likely to receive a multi-year offer from the Rockets after declining his $5.4 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers.