Kevin Durant traded to Rockets in blockbuster deal: See trade details
The person spoke under the condition of anonymity on Sunday, June 22, because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the trade until it becomes official.
Durant is set to enter the final season of his contract.
The trade cannot be formalized until July 1, the start of the new league year.
ESPN was first to report the news of the trade.
Since he won a pair of consecutive NBA championships with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018, Durant has sought another title. His stints with the Brooklyn Nets and Suns didn't elevate either team to serious contention, though his statistical production has remained constant.
And, with Durant set to enter the 2025-26 season as a 37-year-old, this may present his last chance to contend for another NBA Finals.
This past season, Phoenix missed the play-in window and finished 11th in the Western Conference with a 36-46 record. The Suns dealt with several injuries throughout the season, including an ankle issue Durant sustained toward the end of the regular season that forced him to miss Phoenix's final seven games, six of which were losses.
The Suns, who had the highest payroll in the NBA with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal also commanding large salaries, struggled to gel and lacked depth. In an attempt to work through those issues, players often had to change their roles and responsibilities, ultimately costing former coach Mike Budenholzer his job.
Despite that, Durant averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in 62 appearances.
In Durant, the Rockets are acquiring a proven commodity and an elite, three-level scorer who can knock down shots with ease, particularly late in games.
This is something that should instantly help Houston, whose offense at times stagnated with no obvious top scoring threat. The No. 2 seed in the Western Conference that was bounced out of the first round of the playoffs, this move should boost Houston's chance to make a deep run in the postseason.
With 30,571 career points, Durant ranks eighth on the all-time scoring list and is in real position to climb further; Durant, who scored 1,647 points this season with the Suns, needs just 1,722 points to surpass Michael Jordan (32,292), who is fifth on the list.
A four-time scoring champion, two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, 11-time All-NBA selection and the 2013-14 NBA Most Valuable Player, Durant was selected second overall in the 2007 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics (who later became the Oklahoma City Thunder).
Durant, a fixture on Team USA, is also a four-time Olympic gold medalist.
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