Suns trade Kevin Durant to Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, draft picks

Yahoo

3 hours ago

Kevin Durant is on the move, concluding weeks of speculation about where the superstar forward would land.
The Phoenix Suns traded Durant to the Houston Rockets, in exchange for Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks. Phoenix also received the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft and five second-round picks as part of the trade.
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The deal will not officially go through until July 6, per ESPN's Bobby Marks, due to a restriction in Green's rookie extension, which he signed last October. The second-round picks in the trade will stretch to 2032, per NBA insider Jake Fischer.
Earlier this month, Durant had reportedly narrowed his preferred destinations to three places, including Houston. Per ESPN's Shams Charania, Phoenix was deep in discussions with the two finalists — the Rockets and Miami Heat — throughout the weekend before agreeing to a deal with Houston on Sunday morning.
Durant found out about the trade's completion while appearing at Fanatics Fest in New York.
"Being part of the Houston Rockets, I'm looking forward to it," Durant said. "It's a crazy, crazy couple weeks, but I'm glad it's over with."
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Durant said the Suns had asked him where he preferred to be traded. "I gave them some of my destinations, and here we are," Durant said.
Durant will joining an emerging Rockets team that is anchored by rising stars Amen Thompson and Alperen Şengün, as starters Green and Brooks are sent to Phoenix.
The trade ends a two plus-season run with the Suns after Durant joined Phoenix from the Brooklyn Nets via a blockbuster deal prior to the 2023 NBA trade deadline. The Suns acquired Durant in exchange for a package that sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and four first-round picks to Brooklyn.
The intent in Phoenix was to pair Durant alongside Devin Booker in hopes of competing in the stacked Western Conference for an NBA title. They never reached contention as teammates.
Suns failed to build a competitor around Durant, Booker
Durant recovered from a knee injury in time for the 2023 playoffs after landing in Phoenix and helped the Suns advance to the second round. The Suns beat the Clippers before losing to the eventual NBA champion Nuggets. That turned out to be the peak of the Durant era in Phoenix.
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Durant played 75 games the following season in his first full campaign with the Suns. Phoenix finished 49-33 in 2023-24 and earned the No. 6 seed in the West. The Suns were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Timberwolves.
Failed season a prelude to Durant deal
This past season was a failure in Phoenix that led to the dismissal of head coach Mike Budenholzer in April after one season. A top-heavy Suns roster was not competitive in the West and missed the playoffs after a 36-46 campaign that was good for 11th place in the conference.
It was reported after Budenholzer's dismissal that the Suns would work with Durant to find him a new team. Now he has one.
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Durant isn't the player he was in his MVP prime. But he remains an All-Star-level force at 36 years old and reportedly drew interest from multiple teams seeking to contend for a championship, including the Timberwolves, Rockets and Heat.
Durant made his 15th career All-Star team in 2024-25 and finished the season with averages of 26.6 points, 6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. He shot 52.7% from the field and 43% from 3 and remains one of basketball's most lethal and efficient scorers.
The trade represents the latest seismic shake-up in the Western Conference, following the Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis trade, the deal that sent De'Aaron Fox to the Spurs and another that sent Jimmy Butler to the Warriors during the season.