Kevin Durant lands in Houston — but are the Rockets now legit contenders in the West? We break down the blockbuster trade, the ripple effects across the NBA, and where Houston stands. Then we head east: Are the Celtics quietly entering a rebuild just one year after raising the banner, or are they playing chess while everyone else plays checkers? Finally, we take it back home with a full State of the Union-style breakdown of the Chicago sports scene — Bears, Bulls, Cubs, and White Sox — who’s rising, who’s falling, and what hope fans can still hold on to.