The Houston Rockets made the big splash fans were hoping for on Sunday afternoon when they acquired future Hall of Fame forward Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and five future second-round picks.
This is a signal from the Rockets to the rest of the NBA that they feel they have the pieces in place to make a run at a championship during the 2025-26 campaign. The fact that Houston did not give up much of a haul in exchange for Durant only makes the Rockets look even better coming out of this deal.
With Durant in the fold, the attention turns to what Houston will do next. It is hard to imagine them moving off of any of the main pieces of their young core, so Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson, and Alperen Sengun, at least, should be safe. One recent first-round pick, however, may not be as fortunate.
Young Rockets Wing Cam Whitmore Isn't Safe After Kevin Durant Trade
Houston selected Cam Whitmore out of Villanova with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. While he only played one season of college ball, he looked the part of a future contributor at the NBA level by averaging 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 27.3 minutes per game.
Whitemore has proven to be just that so far. His averages improved across the board from his rookie season to his second year with the Rockets. The biggest problem facing Whitmore is where he falls in the depth chart.
With Durant now in the fold, the minutes he may have received at the small forward spot are going to be tougher to come by with Thompson and Tari Eason in front of him in the rotation. He is far too valuable an asset to be squandering away on the bench. It makes far more sense to see what he could potentially bring back to Houston to help make this roster more complete.
Given Whitmore is under team control for the next two seasons at a relatively low number, this could be the opportunity the Rockets have to make another meaningful upgrade.