Phoenix Suns trade star forward Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets
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Kevin Durant speaks during the Fanatics Fest NYC 2025 on June 22. The news of his trade to the Houston Rockets broke during the event.
PHOTO: AFP
WASHINGTON – Two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Kevin Durant has been traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets for eight players in a blockbuster deal, he confirmed on June 22.
The swop will send the 36-year-old American forward to Houston in exchange for guard Jalen Green and swingman Dillon Brooks, as well as the 10th pick in the June 25 NBA Draft and five future second-round picks, according to the report, citing unnamed sources.
The move unites Durant, a four-time Olympic champion with the United States and the 2014 NBA Most Valuable Player, with a young Houston squad guided by coach Ime Udoka who finished the regular season 52-30, second in the Western Conference behind the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14).
Durant was appearing on a panel at Fanatics Fest in New York when the news broke and he told reporter Kay Adams he was happy with the move.
“Being part of the Houston Rockets, I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “Crazy, crazy last couple weeks, but I’m glad it’s over with.”
The Suns had the highest payroll in NBA history but stumbled to a 36-46 season, finishing 11th in the West, with Durant averaging 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists a game.
Teams can agree on moves but cannot finalise them until the moratorium ends in July ahead of the Summer League for the new campaign, which starts with the regular-season opener on Oct 21.
Durant has an expiring US$54.7 million (S$70.6 million) contract but would be eligible for a two-year extension after a trade, which narrowed likely suitors to the teams where he would sign a longer-term deal. He had sought a trade to the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs or Houston and got a club on his wish list.
Durant will fit into a Rockets line-up boasting Turkish big man Alperen Sengun and guard Fred VanVleet.
He also has a good relationship with Udoka, who signed a long-term deal last week to remain as Houston’s coach.
Durant and Udoka worked together at the Brooklyn Nets and on the US Olympic squad for the Tokyo Games.
“They had a great season last year,” Durant said. “Love their leadership. I felt like I would be a good addition.”
Green averaged 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists last season while Brooks was one of the NBA’s top defenders last season.
Durant joined Phoenix in February 2023 in a trade with the Nets that cost the Suns three players and four first-round draft picks.
“Always remember my time there, but we’re on to something else,” said Durant, who began his NBA career in 2007 with the Seattle SuperSonics, who later became the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With Durant, the Suns won only one play-off series in three seasons while the Rockets missed the play-offs four years in a row before falling to the Golden State Warriors in the first round last season.
“Being able to kind of dictate what you want to do and being with a team that values you, I’m looking forward to it,” said Durant, who won his two NBA titles with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018.
Durant, a four-time NBA scoring champion with the Thunder, sparked his team to the NBA Finals in 2012, when Oklahoma City lost to the LeBron James-led Miami Heat. Durant was the 2014 NBA MVP, but the Thunder fell to San Antonio in that year’s Western Conference finals.
In 2016, the Thunder blew a 3-1 series lead and lost to Golden State in the West finals.
After the Warriors lost to Cleveland in the NBA Finals, several players asked Durant, a free agent, to sign with them. Durant inked a two-year deal with the Warriors and they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 and 2018 Finals.
Durant suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors and he left for Brooklyn the following month. The Nets with Durant never got past the second play-off round. AFP
