Suns agree to trade Kevin Durant to Rockets for players and picks
The Phoenix Suns have agreed to trade 15-time all-star forward Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets in exchange for guard Jalen Green, forward Dillon Brooks, a 2025 first-round pick and five second-round picks, multiple people with knowledge of the situation confirmed Sunday.
The trade agreement cannot be officially completed until the NBA's calendar resets in July. ESPN first reported the deal's terms.
Durant, 36, will bring his proven scoring ability and championship experience to a young Rockets team that finished second in the Western Conference last season before losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Golden State Warriors. Houston was able to add the four-time scoring champion without surrendering all-star center Alperen Sengun or promising recent lottery picks such as Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr.
Rockets Coach Ime Udoka previously coached Durant as an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets in 2020-21 and for the U.S. men's basketball team at the 2020 Olympics.
Durant's disappointing two-plus seasons with the Suns began with a February 2023 blockbuster trade from Brooklyn. Although Durant touted Phoenix's championship potential shortly after his arrival in the desert, the Suns were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the 2023 playoffs, suffered a first-round sweep against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2024 playoffs and missed the postseason this year by finishing 11th in the Western Conference with a 36-46 record.
Multiple missteps by Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who agreed to purchase the team in December 2022, preceded Durant's long-anticipated departure. Phoenix attempted to construct a 'Big Three' by acquiring Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards in June 2023, but Durant, Devin Booker and Beal struggled to build chemistry because of repeated injury issues and never meshed particularly well on the court.
As the Suns slipped in the standings following a franchise-record 64-win season in 2021-22, Ishbia fired well-regarded coaches Monty Williams, Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer in quick succession. Despite those changes, Phoenix continually struggled to defend at a high level and fell short of its potential on offense despite its well-known stars. While Phoenix attempted to trade for disgruntled star Jimmy Butler before this year's trade deadline, its efforts were hamstrung by the no-trade clause in Beal's contract.
Durant remained an ultraefficient scorer throughout his Phoenix tenure, averaging 26.6 points, six rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 43.0 percent on three-pointers last season. However, Durant has become more dependent on his jump shooting since he suffered a torn Achilles' tendon as a member of the Golden State Warriors during the 2019 NBA Finals. The two-time champion has seen his Player Efficiency Rating, free throw rate and ability to score at the rim slip noticeably since that injury, and he hasn't advanced to the conference finals since leaving the Warriors for the Nets in June 2019.
By trading Durant, who is owed $54.7 million next season, the Suns took a step toward greater financial flexibility after leading the NBA with a $220 million payroll. Earlier this offseason, Ishbia hired Brian Gregory as general manager and Jordan Ott as coach, signaling a new era for an organization that traded significant draft assets to acquire Durant and Beal. Phoenix still faces major roster questions, including whether it should part with Beal this summer and whether the 28-year-old Booker, a four-time all-star, should be moved in pursuit of a full-scale rebuilding effort. The Suns do not control any of their first-round picks until 2032.
Green, 23, was the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft, but the athletic scoring guard must continue to improve his consistency and efficiency as he progresses through his career. Brooks, 29, is a proven wing stopper.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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