The Rockets are reportedly not interested in Kevin Durant.
The Houston Rockets are barely removed from their Game 7 loss to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, and already, speculation has begun about what Houston can do to be better next season. One idea tossed around just about anywhere you look is a connection to Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns. Well, the latest Stein Line says that Houston’s interest in the aging star is “overstated.”
According to a newest issue (which is pay wall protected), Stein states:
“For all of the Rockets’ obvious shortcomings in generating easy scoring opportunities against Golden State’s defense laden with thirtysomethings, more indications than not suggest that Houston’s trade interest in Kevin Durant continues to be overstated. It was strongly conveyed to The Stein Line going into the playoffs that a Houston trade pursuit of Durant had become even “less likely” than previously thought.”
Jake Fischer for Stein Line goes on to say that the consistent Durant-to-Houston rumors are basically just a function of Houston having so many Phoenix draft picks, that it simply makes sense from a logistical perspective. The Rockets have expressed no formal interest in Durant, and in fact, it seems more like the opposite: Houston is not interested at all.
Devin Booker continues to be another story, but the Suns are still reportedly not budging on their ideas of Booker as their true franchise player.
The report also goes on to say that he expects Fred VanVleet to be back next season. It does’t specifiy whether it’s likely to be on a new deal or on the (very expensive $44 million) old one, but Stein Line expects the veteran point guard to return.
The Substack also mentions that the Rockets are going to continue to be linked to any star thats available, not necessarily due to genuine interest, but simply because they are one of the few teams with the draft capital and an aggressive enough GM to do it.
So there you have it. At least for now, the Rockets are not Kevin Durant hunting. And that’s mostly a good thing.