Rockets Trade for Kevin Durant: Jalen Green to Suns – Basket Count

The Suns also earned the 10th pick this year, so keep an eye on their next move.

Kevin Durant has been traded to the Rockets. The Suns will release Durant, earning Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the NBA Draft of the year, and five second-round picks.

The Suns acquired Durant in 2023, releasing four first-round picks, including Mikel Bridges and Cam Johnson. Two years have passed since then, and Durant, who lost sweep in the first round last season, missed out on the playoffs this season, and turned 36 without winning, has fallen.

Still, the team was completely stuck, and all that Brian Gregory, who became the new GM, needed to do was reset. I wasn’t getting a price worth Durant, but I had to move anyway, and this trade was the first step. Next up, they will move to release Bradley Beale, and the key is how effectively they can make use of the 10th and 29th picks.

The Rockets have completed their rebuilding and have grown into a team that can compete toughly under manager Imey Yudoka. This season he won 52 wins and finished second in the fiercely competitive West Conference. Young teams still had room to improve, but the problem was lacking clutch strength to win close games, which was apparent in the playoffs. Furthermore, there was a risk that the Thunder was about to build a golden age in the same timeline as the Rockets, and that it would be a reenactment of the James Harden era, which continued to fall behind Stephen Curry’s Warriors.

In the current NBA, if there is a chance right in front of you, you need to go and grab it right away. Young players quickly become veterans and are eligible for high-value contracts. He was forced to release a 23-year-old ace candidate to win the 36-year-old ace, but Green was in a strong wave of good and bad shape, and he lacked the confidence to hold a crucial spot in the playoffs in particular. If he’s going to win now, there’s no doubt that Durant can do better.

Durant will turn 37 before the start of the new season, and even if he has passed his peak as an athlete, his skills and IQ will not diminish with age. He played in 62 games this season, scoring 26.6 points, sixth in the league. I look forward to a rejuvenating performance with the Rockets, where young vitality is packed with.