After weeks of speculation, the Houston Rockets have officially pulled off a seismic trade for superstar forward Kevin Durant. On Sunday, Houston agreed to a deal with the Phoenix Suns, sending Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the NBA Draft and five second-rounders in exchange for the 15-time All-Star.
Houston was reportedly a piece or two away from meeting the Suns' demands heading into the weekend, though the Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves were also said to be in the same boat. However, it's GM Rafael Stone who eventually came out on top to give his team the elite scoring talent it was desperately missing.
BREAKING: The Phoenix Suns are trading two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft and five second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/EwrbA2ES9O
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 22, 2025
Durant is fresh off of a 2024-25 campaign that saw him average 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists over 62 games. Injuries were once again an issue for the aging superstar, who missed seven straight contests with a calf strain in November. His campaign also was ended prematurely by an ankle sprain suffered against his new team on March 30.
The good news is Durant wasn't slowed down in any way when he returned to the floor, seeing 36.5 minutes per game over the course of the season.
Durant instantly slots into a new-look Houston lineup as the clear No. 1 the entire offense can revolve around alongside Fred VanVleet, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. The Rockets did lose some offensive firepower in dealing Green -- the squad's leading scorer with 21.0 PPG this past season -- but Durant's arrival, coupled with Thompson making a massive leap (which included going from 9.5 PPG as a rookie to 14.1 as a sophomore) erases any concerns.
That's not even to mention Houston managed to hang onto Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore and 2024 No. 3 pick Reed Sheppard, who suddenly has a less congested path to contributing now.
Durant brings legendary scoring to a roster teeming with young players who'll only continue to get better, which puts the Rockets in perfect position to contend for years to come.