The speculation about a Minnesota Timberwolves trade with the Phoenix Suns for Kevin Durant has seemingly ended. On Sunday, reports arrived that KD is on his way to the Houston Rockets in a blockbuster trade.
The Rockets will acquire the two-time NBA Champion and former league MVP. In exchange, they'll send Phoenix guard Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, and their No. 10 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
In addition, Phoenix is getting five second-round picks in this year's draft. ESPN's NBA Insider Shams Charania first reported via sources that the Suns were trading Durant to the Rockets.
The news arrives after several weeks of rumors, suggesting that KD could also head to teams such as the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, and Timberwolves. However, there was mention that Durant wasn't interested in playing in Minnesota.
Anthony Edwards, Kevin Durant
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) and Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35)
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
That may have crushed some fans' hopes of seeing a Durant and Anthony Edwards pairing in Wolves jerseys next season. However, the seemingly more official news has brought other reactions.
On Reddit's Timberwolves subreddit, fans shared their thought about the KD to Houston trade and its impact, or lack thereof, on Minnesota's future success.
"Whelp at least it’s over now," a Reddit comment said.
"If the Wolves reported offer was true (which I’m dubious of anyway) this is a horrible haul for the Suns. But if KD didn’t want to come here anyway it doesn’t matter," another individual commented.
"Gonna be a little hard to make it to the conference finals again this year I imagine if Ant doesn't make a big leap this year," another comment said.
"It'll be interesting to see what we do now because I don't see Connelly just running it back," one Reddit comment said.
Based on an ESPN YouTube Short, KD learned of his new team while appearing on stage for this weekend's Fanatics Fest convention in New York City.
The No. 2 seed Houston Rockets lost in the first round of this year's NBA Playoffs to the Golden State Warriors. With the addition of KD, they've added a superstar with plenty of skills, including scoring and the ability to take over games down the stretch.
Previous Durant to Minnesota rumors included mention that Rudy Gobert, Rob Dillingham, and the Wolves' upcoming No. 17 draft pick could be part of a potential trade.
There has been speculation that the Timberwolves could still perform a trade to upgrade their roster when it comes to their older point guard. While 37-year-old Mike Connelly has done admirably in the past, he's on a downhill trajectory in his NBA career and doesn't seem to be the answer to pushing further in the playoffs.