Kevin Durant dominated the headlines on Sunday leading up to a massive NBA game that he was not playing in, and fans think NFL commissioner Roger Goodell would never have allowed that to happen in his league.
The Phoenix Suns agreed to trade Durant to the Houston Rockets on Sunday in exchange for a package of players and draft picks. The blockbuster deal happened to come together on the same day of Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Game 7 of the NBA Finals is a massive event, but there is no question the Durant trade took some of the spotlight away from it. Some people wondered why NBA commissioner Adam Silver did not ask the Suns and Rockets to keep the trade under wraps until Monday.
Many fans made the same joke about how Goodell would have done everything in his power to cover up the news of a major trade if it took place on the day of the Super Bowl.
Roger Goodell would bury someone alive before he let a major trade break seven hours before the Super Bowl
— The Smoking Musket (@smokingmusket) June 22, 2025
Roger Goodell would personally order the execution of multiple NFL GMs and front office staff if a superstar trade was leaked the day of the Super Bowl
— The Trading Bloc (@TheTradingBloc) June 22, 2025
Pretty sure Roger Goodell would send black vans to the GM who announced a major trade on the eve of the Super Bowl https://t.co/NQxnEVQm79
— Carlos (@Carlosologist) June 22, 2025
roger goodell would flay the gms alive if they traded a superstar on the super bowl
— Browns Arbiter of Greatness (@BrownsAlchemy) June 22, 2025
Durant seemed to know the trade was coming, though he was in a perfect setting at the moment ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the news. It is possible that the Suns and Rockets tried to keep the deal under wraps for another day but were unable to.
Durant being traded on the same day as Game 7 of the Finals was essentially a wasted opportunity for the NBA. Game 7 draws enough attention, so the Durant news would have been better saved for another day. It did not work out like that.