In a blockbuster trade on June 22, the Phoenix Suns traded SF/PF Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets. The move comes after months of speculation of trade rumors, with multiple teams within the Kevin Durant sweepstakes. But this week, the Houston Rockets cashed in.
TRADE DETAILS:
Houston Rockets receive: SF/PF Kevin Durant
Phoenix Suns receive: SG Jalen Green, SF Dillon Brooks, 2025 No. 10 draft pick, five
second-round picks.
MY ANALYSIS:
There are many factors to look at within this trade. The Houston Rockets finished as the second seed in the Western Conference during the 2024-2025 season with a 52-30 record after missing the playoffs 4 years in a row, finishing dead last in the standings 3 of those years.
The Houston Rockets had completed a rebuild unlike any other, drafting Jalen Green, acquiring Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore and Reed Shepard throughout a 3-year period, almost all of which had started at least 10 games on the roster.
The Rockets also acquired Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Steven Adams, all throughout trades or free agency, which helped propel the Rockets to the 2nd seed.
The Phoenix Suns have been stuck in limbo for a long time and had high expectations with multiple additions to their roster over the years. However, they haven’t met those expectations. This is not to say, they failed those expectations. They appeared in the NBA Finals during the 2020-2021 season, but haven’t made it past the Western Conference semifinals since then.
With an aging roster, it made sense for the Suns to seek out young talent in exchange for an established veteran of the NBA.
I do believe that the Rockets won this trade. However, I do have true concerns over how much longer Kevin Durant is going to be in this league. Durant is 36 years old, and it’s unclear of his longevity. However, with the Rockets entering “win now” mode, this is perfect.
The Rockets traded away Jalen Green, who averaged 21PPG/4.6RPG/3.4AST with a 42.3% FG% in 2024. However, this was largely inconsistent over the season. Jalen Green was labeled as an inconsistent shooter throughout the 2024-2025 season. He went multiple games scoring less than 10 points. In fact, the Houston Rockets fanbase ultimately cried to trade Green for a veteran talent.
Dillon Brooks who is known as one of the better defenders on the team, and potentially in the league, was also part of the Durant trade. The Rockets did lose some talent here, and some that I will miss, but Durant is unlike any other in the league.
Kevin Durant at 35 years old put up 26.6PPG/6.0RPG/4.2AST with a 52.7% FG% in 2024, as well as ranking top 15 within the league in defensive rating. He is paired up on a deep roster with young talent and can almost act as a mentor to many Rockets.
In an interview with Fanatics, Kevin Durant had many things to say about being in Houston:
“Being part of the Houston Rockets, I’m looking forward to it. They had a great season last
year. I love their leadership, and I felt like I would be a good addition.”
FINAL THOUGHTS:
The Rockets won this trade, without a shadow of a doubt in my mind. With multiple blockbuster trades that the NBA has gone through these past couple days, and with the NBA Draft right around the corner, the 2025-2026 NBA season is looking more and more interesting by the second.
