Shams is family… but come on man. Leave the Rockets out of this, please?
According to Shams Charania, Kevin Durant and his business partner are sorting through trade options for the 10-time NBA All-Star, and Shams is determined that the Houston Rockets are one of the teams interested in dealing for him.
ESPN reporting: The Phoenix Suns and Kevin Durant’s business partner, Rich Kleiman, are sorting through trade options – with interested teams mainly featuring Houston, San Antonio, Minnesota, Miami and New York.https://t.co/tqpprx47O4
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 11, 2025
Perhaps Ime Udoka and Raphael Stone are not saying to executives and agents what they have been telling the public, but on multiple occasions they have more than suggested that barring a mind-blowing offer, continuity would be the preferred approach to next season. Now, while I will admit that Kevin Durant to the Rockets, for the right asking price, is very intriguing, I must put emphasis on “for the right price.”
For obvious reasons, the Rockets have found themselves in the discussions of possible new homes for Durant. The Rockets hold the Suns’ lottery pick at number 10 in the upcoming NBA draft, as well as 2027 first round pick, and a 2029 pick swap. Combined with the breadth of young talent they possess and their recent rise to relevance, it all makes sense.
Kevin Durant is no doubt one of the greatest scorers the game has ever seen, and even at the age of 37, he can still get it done. But he is 37, and in the last three seasons, he has missed 62 total games due to injury. Kevin Durant going to a team that will depend on his availability in order to compete for a championship likely will suffer the fate of… well the Phoenix Suns.
Phoenix is going to try to get as much as they possibly can in return for Durant, which would likely start with their draft capital. They will likely want at least one, if not two young players in return, and for salaries to match one of those would need to be either Alperen Sengun or Jalen Green. Sure, they could take on Dillion Brooks, have the Rockets throw in the likes of Reed Sheppard and Cam Whitmore, but is that a good trade for the Rockets? I say no. Not at all.
Keep in mind that whoever trades for Kevin Durant will also have to give a contract extension that will be a two-year $112 million dollar deal that will end when Kevin Durant is almost 40 years old. The Rockets have talked endlessly over that past few seasons about their timeline and having players that match that timeline. Not only does KD not match the timeline, acquiring him would more than likely wreck the timeline.
Paying a nearly 40-year-old Kevin Durant $60 million at a time they will be having to make decisions on their young, core players like Jabari Smith and Tari Eason, is a recipe for disaster, because once you extend Durant for two years, you’re stuck with him. You won’t be moving that contract for anything that helps you in the immediate future. It will be an anchor on the entire franchise. These are the types of moves only bad teams make. Historically, the Rockets have not been one of those teams. Hopefully, it will remain that way.