Alperen Sengun seen as 'bridge too far' in Rockets’ Stephen Curry–Kevin Durant pursuit image
The Houston Rockets face pressure to maximize their championship window, possessing the assets to target a superstar like Stephen Curry, though a deal is unlikely given his intent to retire as a Golden State Warrior.
But the real problem is they don't have a piece they are actually willing to give up. That's what NBA analyst Zach Lowe explained when he shared the idea of Curry and Durant reuniting on the Rockets.
"Houston is on my list," Lowe said. "Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard and some sort of draft assets. The Rockets would surely balk at it, including anything other than the players I mentioned, any draft assets at all."
He added, "Remember, this is Steph Curry. If I'm trading him and if you're the Warriors, you're gonna have to bowl me over."
Then he dropped the name of 24-year-old All-Star center Alperen Sengun, who signed a five-year, $185 million extension through 2030. He’s the undisputed cornerstone of this team. He's coming off an MVP-caliber season, and his contract gives Houston a ton of flexibility.
Lowe called putting Sengun in a deal for Curry "a bridge too far" for Houston. That perfectly explains why this whole thing is just fantasy football or basketball, in this case. The Rockets want to win now using guys like VanVleet, Smith, Sheppard, and picks as trade bait, but Sengun is the one player they won't touch.
Still, the NBA analyst thinks the idea of reuniting Curry and KD on the Rockets is legitimately interesting. The hype would be insane since they won back-to-back rings together in 2017 and 2018.
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