Houston Rockets Want To Trade For Kevin Durant, Could Settle For Lesser Superstar

Tuesday night has been full of NBA news.

After the blockbuster trade of Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets to the New York Knicks for six draft picks, four being unprotected first-rounders, and Bojan Bogdonovic, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was not done breaking news quite yet.

That’s because the Nets were not done trading.

A rare draft pick-only deal went down. Brooklyn and Houston worked out a deal where the Nets returned a 2026 first-round pick for a 2027 Phoenix Suns first-round pick. The Rockets also acquired the 2025 right to swap the Houston/Oklahoma City Thunder first for the 2025 Suns first-round pick.

Basically, the Nets are taking control of their future. In the event they decide to go into full rebuild mode, they’ll at least have the draft capital to do so.

While that’s all a tad confusing, the motivation behind it is not. The Houston Rockets reportedly want to trade for Kevin Durant, and they believe loading up on draft picks is the way to get that deal done.

The Suns are going to be massively hesitant to trade Durant. They have not had instant success with him, but they’re determined to run it back again with the same core group next season.

According to Wojnarowski, even in a world where they cannot acquire Durant via trade, the Rockets will remain persistent in their “major upgrade.”

A guy like Paul George could now potentially be an option for the Rockets if they are truly superstar shopping. Zach LaVine and Demar DeRozan seem primed for new homes as well.

If the Rockets can’t land Durant, it makes sense for them to expedite their timeline right now. They were 41-41 next year. Young contributors like Jalen Green and Amen Thompson are only going to get better with time. Veterans like Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks have been around the block and know what it takes to compete. It's a nice roster that might just be one big piece away from contending in the West.

Before his controversial departure from the Boston Celtics, Ime Udoka was one of the league’s best coaches. A superstar in Houston likely helps him return to that category. 

Regardless of what happens with Durant and Houston, this NBA offseason is already shaking out to be more exciting than the Finals were.