Kevin Durant got his wish Sunday as the Phoenix Suns traded him to the Houston Rockets, hours ahead of Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Houston was one of Durant’s preferred destinations. After the dust settled, an NBA insider called what the Suns received back an “atrocious haul.”
In the deal, the Rockets gave up:
Jalen Green (Second overall pick of 2021 NBA Draft)
Dillon Brooks
10th overall pick in 2025 NBA Draft
Five future second-round picks
The Athletic’s Zach Harper criticized the Suns for imposing a self-deadline to trade Durant ahead of Wednesday’s draft.
“No offense to Green, who I do think has a lot of talent and can be a good player, but this is an atrocious haul for even a soon-to-be 37-year-old Durant. Brooks will be a useful veteran for them. They can probably get a good player in the draft with the 10th pick. The five future second-round picks don’t mean much until we know what they mean,” Harper wrote.
“The Suns didn’t get any of their future picks back. They didn’t get Jabari Smith Jr. or Tari Eason or even Reed Sheppard or Cam Whitmore! How is this the haul you get when you have other interested teams? This is what happens when you decide you need to rush this deal to get it done before the draft.”
The Rockets hold the Suns’ 2027 and 2029 first-round picks from a previous deal with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Suns initially tried to deal Durant to the Golden State Warriors during last season’s trade deadline, but when the future Hall of Famer was informed of the potential trade, he told Phoenix he didn’t want to return to the place where he won two NBA championships. With the Suns and Durant looking to split up, the superstar provided them with a list of preferred destinations that included the Rockets, Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs.
Despite turning 37 ahead of the 2025-26 season, Durant remains one of the game’s top players. In 62 games with the Suns in 2024-25, he shot 52.7% from the field and 43% from three while averaging 26.6 points, six rebounds and 4.2 assists. The Rockets will be Durant’s fifth NBA organization.
Matt Higgins worked in national and local news for 15 years. He started out as an overnight production assistant ... More about Matt Higgins