Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets just revealed their plan to recruit Kevin Durant

Published Apr. 4, 2016 9:58 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Houston Rockets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder by eight points on Sunday. It was a must-win game. One year after making it to the Western Conference Finals, Houston's hope to even qualify for this season's playoffs hangs by a thread.

They're currently one game behind the eighth-seeded Utah Jazz with five games left on their schedule. But this summer is when the fireworks really start to fly. Rockets officials have reportedly relayed their free agency plans to their best player, James Harden: They want him to recruit Kevin Durant (via ESPN):

The Rockets front office has talked to Harden about recruiting, and Harden is ready to play his part. "In order to put yourself as an elite team, you always got to have talent, right?" Harden said while not addressing Durant specifically. "You always got to get better and find ways to improve. That's any team." Harden and Durant have a strong relationship, professionally and personally. In the last meeting between the Rockets and Thunder on March 22, Harden hugged Durant's mother, Wanda Pratt, at midcourt before the game. Harden still has ties to OKC, where he owns a home and his brother has a barber shop in the midtown section of the city.

This isn't a surprise. Assuming Dwight Howard opts out of his contract, the Rockets should have enough cap space to sign two max deals, including Durant. Having Harden sell the franchise is huge. He can recruit Durant as aggressively as he wants -- if he wasn't doing it before Sunday's game, it's hard to imagine a scenario where it hasn't happened since.

If Harden constantly buzzes in Durant's ear, it could very well be enough to land an official meeting with Rockets management, and that's all the team can ask for. Sure, they've been one of the biggest disappointments in the league, but with Durant on board they'd have two top-5 offensive players and an owner who's more than willing to exceed the luxury tax threshold with his team competing for a championship. The same can't be said for the Thunder.

If Howard signs for less than the max (unlikely but possible, on the condition Durant hops aboard), Houston may be in a more advantageous situation than the Thunder, with more trade assets, a more versatile roster and more talent.

However, if Durant takes meetings this summer, it means Oklahoma City didn't win the championship, and signing with Houston means he'd still need to get past the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors next year, and the year after that. It's one reason why heading to the Eastern Conference is such an intriguing destination (the Boston Celtics are a perfect choice).

But the Rockets have a superstar already onboard, one who's a tad less selfish than Russell Westbrook. Don't count them out as a realistic destination once things heat up this summer.