After a dismal 2024-25 regular season, Kevin Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets as part of the largest trade in NBA history. In return, the Phoenix Suns received three draft picks– Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming and Koby Brea— along with Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks.
Both teams have started the season above .500 going into Friday night’s matchup at the Toyota Center. The Suns hold a 13-9 record, winning 10 of their last 14 games. Meanwhile, the 14-5 Rockets have won nine of their last 11 games.
Here is how both teams have been impacted by the trade.
Revisiting the Kevin Durant Trade
Phoenix Turns a New Leaf
Along with sending Durant to Houston, the Suns sent Bradley Beal to the LA Clippers. So, they entered their first game with a young core, in hopes of building a better future around Devin Booker.
To many people’s surprise, Jordan Ott’s side has looked strong against Western Conference competition. This includes earning a spot in the NBA Cup Quarterfinals, beating the Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings before a close loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Additionally, the Purple and Orange have created a skillful offense despite Green only playing one game this season. While Maluach and Fleming receive crucial reps in the G-League, Brooks has built the team’s “dawg” mentality, even bequeathing his villainous play style onto Collin Gillespie.
“I’m hungry,” Brooks told reporters ahead of his return to Houston. “I want to get a win over there. The guys want to get a win over there too.”
Houston Flirts with Contender Conversations
After clinching the Western Conference’s second seed, the Rockets entered the 2025-26 season with a solid offensive core. Seven players, including Green and Brooks, averaged double figures.
While losing two stars, Durant’s introduction to Space City not only gave the team more of a veteran presence, but brought a championship mentality. This showed itself against the 21-1 Thunder, Durant’s former team, taking the reigning champs to double overtime.
Since then, the Rockets have played like a top three team in the West. Holding a top five offensive and defensive rating, Durant leads the team with 25 points per game, providing extra help for 2024-25 all-star Alperen Sengun, who follows with a career-high 23.1 points per game.
For the first time in his career, Durant is the sole veteran leader of a team. Furthermore, his impact on the court leads to a better culture. Something that plagued the Suns as a whole last season.
So, Who Is Winning the Kevin Durant Trade?
Both teams have started the 2025-26 season in style, and Friday night could preview a potential playoff matchup that right now favors the Rockets. They beat the Suns 114-92 without Durant on November 24th in Phoenix. The Rockets will be expected to win with the visitors missing Green and Booker, who suffered a right groin injury in Monday’s road victory against the Lakers.
But when peeling back the layers of recent results, Phoenix has more upside to gain. Brooks’s culture has given hope to Booker, Grayson Allen and other players who faced recent turmoil. Maluach and Fleming will likely become rotation players over the coming years. Most importantly, Green, who started every game for the Rockets over the past two seasons, will become healthy again.
While trading Durant away ended a part of the misery, Phoenix’s ability to rebuild quickly has given true hope to the Valley.
Featured Image: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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