The disharmony between the Houston Rockets and Stephen Silas and their impending

HOUSTON — Two hours before the Rockets regular season home finale, head coach Stephen Silas addressed the media in customary fashion — seated at a podium in a tucked away room in the bowels of the Toyota Center — but something felt different.

In the three years that Silas had held the position, his affable and jovial demeanor had permeated pregame sessions. That Monday evening, however, Silas seemed reflective and introspective, almost as if he knew the questions about his future were coming. He spoke like a man confident in himself even amidst the unknown that lay ahead.

“I am proud of the job that I’ve done,” Silas said. “I have a three-year contract and this is the last home game of my three years, so whatever happens happens after this, but I can’t be anything but proud.”

If his words felt like a bittersweet goodbye of sorts, it’s because it was. When he originally took the job in 2020, Silas was given a three-year contract with a team option of extending it for an additional year through the 2023-24 season.

But Sunday’s afternoon win over the Washington Wizards was Silas’ final game on Houston’s sidelines, multiple league sources, who like all of the sources in this story were granted anonymity so that they could speak freely, tell The Athletic. Silas, who compiled a 59-177 record during his tenure, will not have his option picked up by the organization and the sides have a meeting set on Monday for formal word on his ouster, sources say. The Rockets believe a coaching change is necessary for the next stage in their multi-step process toward sustainable success, and are prioritizing a more established coach as the next hire.

Nonetheless, it’s a disappointing end to a relationship forged from a hopeful beginning.

After the Rockets’ perfunctory second-round exit to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 playoffs, then-head coach Mike D’Antoni decided to step down from his position. Daryl Morey, who had served as general manager for over a decade and saw the writing on the wall, followed suit shortly thereafter.

Silas, a longtime assistant who was widely respected for his offensive acumen, was coming off a year in which he was an integral part of the Dallas Mavericks’ 115.9 offensive rating — the highest in NBA history at the time. During Houston’s ensuing coaching search, Silas charmed the front office and ownership with his X’s and O’s cognizance, instilling confidence he could find an efficient on-court harmony with James Harden and Russell Westbrook and put the Rockets back in title contention — and convinced the organization he was the right candidate for the job.

Upon his hire, however, things quickly took a turn for the worse. Westbrook pushed aggressively for Silas to be the team’s new head coach, sources said, but requested a trade in the weeks to follow. Westbrook was shipped to Washington for John Wall, Harden requested a trade himself and his departure to the