
Rockets analyst Ryan Hollins on potential Kevin Durant deal: ‘KD would fit in beautifully'
Rockets analyst Ryan Hollins on potential Kevin Durant deal: 'KD would fit in beautifully' Ryan Hollins on a potential Kevin Durant trade: 'KD would fit in beautifully, and I believe he already has a relationship with Ime (Udoka). There's a high level of respect for him from our guys.'
'Ime is a ten.' 💯
Ex-NBA vet @TheRyanHollins breaks down Houston's rise, KD & Giannis rumors, and why the Rockets are built to win ugly.
Read the full interview: https://t.co/O8CiabxCJB
via @LandonBuford pic.twitter.com/bPWdhFZKWv — RG (@TheRGMedia) June 10, 2025
Rockets analyst Ryan Hollins knows the NBA, having played in the league for a decade. And Hollins also knows its current landscape, as he will soon begin his fifth season as Houston's in-game analyst for Space City Home Network, its regional television broadcast home.
With reports emerging in recent days that Houston is among the leading trade suitors for Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, Hollins didn't mince words regarding the possibility.
In an interview with Landon Buford of RG, Hollins said of the talks:
Kevin Durant, man, he's electric. When you get to those big moments, do you have enough firepower to execute? Do you trust your young talent to get you there, or do you bring in someone like KD... who you know can win championships?
KD would fit in beautifully, and I believe he already has a relationship with Ime (Udoka, head coach) from their time in Brooklyn. There's a high level of respect for him from our guys.
The question, however, is what a trade would look like. To Durant's credit, Hollins believes that the 15-time NBA All-Star is aware of that — and he doesn't want to excessively strip his new team of its talent in such a deal.
'He wants to be fair, to both teams and organizations,' said Hollins, whose playing career (2006-07 to 2015-16) featured quite a few matchups against Durant (2007-08 to present). 'That says a lot about him.'
A 6-foot-11 forward, Durant averaged 26.6 points (52.7% FG, 43.0% on 3-pointers), 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 62 games last season. The former Most Valuable Player (MVP) and two-time NBA Finals MVP is now 36 years old, and his current contract runs through next season.
More: ESPN lists Rockets first among potential Kevin Durant trade suitors with Suns

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
14 minutes ago
- USA Today
Shams: Rockets, Heat, Timberwolves leading Kevin Durant trade pursuit
Shams: Rockets, Heat, Timberwolves leading Kevin Durant trade pursuit The Suns' discussions regarding a Kevin Durant trade are largely focused on the Rockets, Heat, and Timberwolves, ESPN's Shams Charania said Friday. The Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, and Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly the teams most engaged with the Phoenix Suns regarding a trade for 15-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant. Shams Charania, ESPN's top NBA insider, shared the latest news in Friday's appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. He said a deal could happen within the next few days, which meshes with recent reports out of Arizona. 'All three of these teams think they're gonna contend for a championship with Kevin Durant,' Charania said in Friday's update. 'In the last 24 hours, the focus has been on the Rockets, the Heat, and the Minnesota Timberwolves.' The Timberwolves have advanced to the Western Conference finals in consecutive seasons, while the Rockets (52-30) had the West's second-best record in the 2024-25 regular season. So, there's certainly a case to be made that adding an elite scorer and future Hall of Famer could push either team over the top in 2025-26. Miami would seem to be further away, but the weaker state of the Eastern Conference could perhaps bolster its chances. A 6-foot-11 forward, Durant averaged 26.6 points (52.7% FG, 43.0% on 3-pointers), 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game last season. The former Most Valuable Player (MVP) and two-time NBA Finals MVP is now 36 years old, and his current contract runs through next season. Because Durant is effectively on a one-year deal ($54.7 million), a team acquiring him would likely want to secure his commitment to a contract extension, in order to trade significant value for him. That's where Durant's reported preference of a Texas team could potentially help the Rockets get a deal done, relative to teams in other states that might not be as confident in securing a longer-term partnership. Durant played his college basketball at the University of Texas in Austin. From Houston's perspective, a trade likely needs to begin with either Jalen Green ($33.3 million in 2025-26) or Dillon Brooks, for matching salary purposes. If it is Brooks ($22.1 million), the Rockets would also need to send a second player making more than $10 million to Phoenix, such as Jabari Smith Jr. or Reed Sheppard. Draft equity and expiring contracts, such as Jock Landale and Aaron Holiday (combined $12.9 million), would likely be part of the equation, as well. Among Rockets making $10 million or more in salary, all indications are that Alperen Sengun ($33.9 million) and Fred VanVleet ($44.9-million team option) are off limits in Durant talks. More: With Rockets among top suitors, Suns reportedly closing in on Kevin Durant trade
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Aussie rugby coach who put the roar back into Tigers
Michael Cheika's legacy will have a lasting impact on the club, no matter what the result in his final game as head coach against Bath in the Premiership final. That's the view of England lock Ollie Chessum, who has hailed the former Wallabies coach for his impact at the Midlands club. It is set to be a summer of change at Welford Road, with former Leicester player Geoff Parling, the ex-Wallabies assistant, to take charge after Cheika departs at the end of his one-year contract. See more from Michael Cheika ahead of Saturday's Gallagher Premiership Final 👇 — Leicester Tigers (@LeicesterTigers) June 12, 2025 Just a couple of seasons on from their last Premiership final triumph, the Tigers finished eighth in a disappointing 2023-24 campaign. The arrival of Cheika - who took the Wallabies to the 2015 World Cup final and then guided Argentina into the last four two years ago - saw Leicester's fortunes transformed. On the back of a new-found mental resilience, Cheika's men were driven on to second place in the table behind Bath. Chessum, who fought his way back to fitness following a knee injury suffered in an England training camp in October, feels 58-year-old Cheika deserves plenty of plaudits for helping turn the club around. "We were in a real good spot a few years ago as a group, and we probably lost our way a little bit and that is how you find yourself down in eighth and out of the play-offs," said Chessum. "There is no denying that something needed to change in quite a few aspects of our game. "Cheiks will say we have probably not changed too much technically, but it is just around that mental side and the emotional side of the game is what has really changed everything this year and has put us in this spot." Chessum, 24, added: "He just finds a way to galvanise the group, get them to find a real meaning in what they are doing and use that to to drive them on. Our mental approach for the team has changed massively towards games. "He will say that goes a huge way towards winning, it is just believing you can do it and sort of shocking yourself really with what you are able to do as an individual. "The way he has changed how the team approaches the game mentally has been a huge part of what he will leave as a legacy." Cheika has named an unchanged side from the semi-final win over Sale for Saturday's final at the Allianz Stadium, which will see several Leicester players make their last appearance in a Tigers shirt. Club stalwarts Dan Cole and Ben Youngs will retire while captain Julian Montoya, South Africa fly-half Handre Pollard, James Cronin and Matt Rogerson are all set to depart. Leicester lost home and away to Bath during the regular campaign, beaten 43-15 at The Recreation Ground in May. Chessum knows the Tigers will have to step up to the challenge as Bath seek to complete a trophy treble with what would be the Somerset club's first league title since 1996.


NBC Sports
20 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
NBA Trade Rumors Roundup: Kevin Durant trade could happen soon, Clippers in the mix
With the NBA Draft less than two weeks away, the trade rumor mill is in full swing, with Kevin Durant at the heart of it. Here are some of the latest rumors. Durant trade coming in 'days?' Don't be so sure. Things are moving quickly on the Kevin Durant trade front, with a real sense in league circles that it will get done before — or at — the NBA draft on June 25. Friday, ESPN's Shams Charania took that a step further on the Pat McAfee Show and said it could happen in the next few days "I think a Kevin Durant trade could happen in the next few days.. In the last 24 hours the focus has been on the Rockets, the Heat, and the Minnesota Timberwolves" ~ @ShamsCharania #PMSLive You know what really pisses off Adam Silver and the NBA league office? When a team makes a big trade that upstages the NBA Finals. The league has made a concerted effort in recent years to refocus games on the court, rather than on the rumor mill and trade speculation. If a Kevin Durant trade were to happen in the coming days, it would completely upstage the Oklahoma City vs. Indiana NBA Finals. The smart money is on no trade coming together, or even being leaked, before the NBA Finals end. Which, if it goes seven games (a genuine possibility), would take us to three days before the 2025 NBA Draft. Clippers interested in Kevin Durant The expectation had been that the Clippers would extend James Harden this summer, re-sign Norman Powell, and essentially run it back with a 50-win team. Instead, they may make a run at Kevin Durant, with ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps calling the Clippers a 'team to watch' in the Durant sweepstakes. It would take a third team (or more) to make the math work, but the Clippers could send depth to Phoenix in a trade offer centered around a sign-and-trade of Norman Powell, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and more, plus a first-round pick or two. We can assume that Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac are off-limits in a trade, but everyone else would be on the table. That may not be the haul the Suns were hoping for, but the other teams thought in the running — the Timberwolves, Rockets, Spurs and Heat — are not making overwhelming offers either. Which brings us to... What Phoenix wants for Durant vs. reality Days after Mat Ishbia purchased the Phoenix Suns from Robert Sarver, the team made a bold move to acquire Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets. It gave up a lot to get the future Hall of Fame: • Mikal Bridges • Cam Johnson • Jay Crowder • Four first-round picks • 2028 pick swap The Suns want a package something close to that in return for Durant. I want to take a break from writing this story to drive my Maserati GranTurismo around town. Reality is going to disappoint both of us. ESPN's Windhorst and Bontemps put it this way: Multiple league sources said they were skeptical that the price for Durant in a trade would get to a place where Phoenix would be satisfied with it. My expectation for the Suns' return in a KD trade is a couple of rotation players to match salary (but nobody likely as good as Bridges), a young player with some potential, and one or two first-round picks (depending on how good they are perceived to be). We'll see what comes out of this, but it is very likely a trade made before the draft or on draft night. No Antetokounmpo trade talks The latest update on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade front is that there is no update. Antetokounmpo was focused on his trip to South America, slipping and falling all over courts there, and has not requested a trade. Giannis slipped trying to dunk 😳 (via goatbr/IG) The expectation in league circles now is that Antetokounmpo will not request a trade, which is why the focus of teams has shifted to Durant and others. Maybe that changes after Antetokounmpo surveys the fallout from a summer of trades and free agency, but more than likely Antetokounmpo is a Buck at the start of next season. Pelicans trade up for Ace Bailey? The Pelicans are not going to trade Zion Williamson this offseason, primarily because the return wouldn't be nearly what they are seeking. That doesn't mean new head of basketball operations in the Big Easy, Joe Dumars, is looking to build around Zion long-term. There are a lot of rumors that he wants to move up in the draft, specifically to target Rutgers wing Ace Bailey. Kevin O'Connor lays it out at Yahoo Sports. League sources continue to cite the Pelicans as a team aggressively looking to move up in the draft, with most front-office executives believing Bailey is the target of new general manager Joe Dumars. That's why we're mocking a trade here for this week's mock, with Herb Jones and a low-value first in 2026 via the Pacers to move up four spots. There is pushback from New Orleans that they would give up Herb Jones in a trade like this, which is the correct call — trading Jones could well be a Dyson Daniels kind of mistake. That said, whatever form the trade might take, the idea of Dumars trading up to get Bailey and taking a swing with the high-ceiling wing makes some sense. Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro not available The Miami Heat are looking to upgrade — this is not a tear-it-down-and-rebuild-it kind of franchise — but in doing so, both Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro are not available, reports Ira Winderman at the Sun Sentinel. That's not a surprise to anyone, but it's nice to have it on the record. Could Chris Paul return to the Clippers? In a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, another future Hall of Famer, Chris Paul, talked about being away from his children and family, who live in Los Angeles, while he played in Oklahoma City, Phoenix, the Bay Area with Golden State, and then San Antonio. 'My son just turned 16. My daughter's 12. The past six seasons I have lived without them. I've been away from them for the last six years. That's the conversation. I wanna be dad.' Nobody can blame him for wanting to come back to Los Angeles. While there is poetic justice in him coming to the Lakers so many years after David Stern shot down his trade there for 'basketball reasons,' the Lakers aren't hurting for ball handlers (although LeBron James and CP3 have always been close, so...). The Clippers need a backup point guard who can run the show when James Harden is off the court. Do we have a match? Just something to watch.