Amen Thompson, Rafael Stone, Rockets
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Amen Thompson and Houston Rockets General Manager Rafael Stone look on prior to an NBA In-Season Tournament game against the Denver Nuggets at Toyota Center.
The Houston Rockets were named as the potential landing spots for Kevin Durant as trade talks heat up.
According to ESPN’s senior NBA insider Shams Charania, the Rockets are one of the five teams that have expressed interest in a blockbuster trade for Durant this summer.
A Durant trade is a foregone conclusion, as Charania reported that talks between the Phoenix Suns and Durant’s business partner, Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman, have escalated following the hiring of first-time head coach Jordan Ott.
The Suns and Kleiman have met “multiple times over the past week and are sifting through trade scenarios,” according to Charania.
“Teams that have expressed interest in Durant, sources said, mainly feature the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks. Several wild-card suitors have made inquiries on Durant in the past seven to 10 days, sources said,” Charania wrote.
Suns Reach Out for Kevin Durant Deal
Kevin Durant, Rockets, Suns
Getty Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns dunks against Dillon Brooks of the Houston Rockets.
According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, the Suns have contacted the Rockets since their seasons ended.
“Phoenix is aggressive in pursuit of a) trading Kevin Durant and b) regaining full control of their draft capital starting with the No. 10 pick in next month’s draft, team sources said. Since the conclusion of the season, Houston has fielded several calls from Phoenix, who have since gradually lowered their asking price for Durant, those sources said,” Iko wrote.
The Suns gave up four first-round picks and a pick swap on top of Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges for Durant at the trade deadline in 2023. Most of those picks are now with the Rockets, who are in a great position to trade for Durant should they want to.
In March, The Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin reported that the Suns were looking to regain those picks from the Rockets.
“Sources informed The Republic that the most ideal return on a Durant trade is regaining three first-round picks and a young player as part of a multi-team deal tied to getting under the second apron,” Rankin wrote.
Rockets Have ‘Significant Reservations’
While Durant is widely seen as the most attainable star in the market today, the Rockets have been reluctant to get him since the trade deadline, according to The Athletic.
“Team sources said the Rockets still have significant reservations about that possible partnership, in large part, because Durant’s age (36) would be so out of sync with their younger timeline,” Iko and Sam Amick reported for The Athletic in May.
There have been no indications that their feelings about Durant have changed since then.
The Rockets did not make a move at the trade deadline because they wanted to see how their young core looks in the playoffs. They exceeded expectations as they pushed the Golden State Warriors to seven games in the first round.
Rockets general manager Rafael Stone expressed confidence in their young core, particularly two-way stud Amen Thompson, during his end-of-season press conference while explaining his reluctance on star chasing.
“We’re in the business of people,” Stone said. “They’re unpredictable. If we trade for a player, assuming that player will be the same player in our environment that they were in the last one, that’s not always the case. You have to make the best choices you can. But Plan A has always been to develop our current group and hope that we can be good enough within it.
“On that front, we improved, and I’m very happy with that level of improvement.”