HOU/PHX - why choose between Durant and Booker?

[HornetJail]

Houston in: Booker, Durant

Phoenix in: Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Reed Sheppard, Cam Whitmore, Jock Landale, and the following picks:
2025 PHX 1st (#9)
2027 PHX 1st
2029 HOU/DAL/PHX 1st (best)
2029 HOU/DAL/PHX 1st (second best)
2031 HOU 1st
2030 1st swap (Phoenix can swap worst of PHX/WAS/MEM for HOU 2030 1st)
2032 1st swap (Phoenix can swap own for HOU)

--

Houston goes for it all right now with a Booker/Thompson/Brooks/Durant/Sengun + Eason/Smith/Adams top 8. Even if KD only has a couple good years left, Booker will still be in his prime years as the younger core continues to develop.

The Suns rebuild with their own picks and some future picks as well. 5 1sts at least partially allow them to regain control of their assets going forward (though 2026 will be rough), and this gives them some cap flexibility with $50M+ in expirings, and a couple young pieces.

[Mavrelous]

Booker and Durant proved they can't be trusted as leaders, maybe a devious hardass like Udoka can reign them in, but I do't like giving a failed pairing another shot, I'd keep FVV, and trade for Booker only, and remove the 31 1st and the swaps.

[Kiss of Death]

So Houston becomes Phoenix?

No thanks.

[cucad8]

So Houston becomes Phoenix?

No thanks.

Does Phoenix have anyone like Sengun, Eason, Thompson, Smith, and Brooks surrounding Durant and Booker? Kind of a lazy take. Not saying Houston should do it, but it doesn't make them just 2 guys and meh role players around them.

[LarsV8]

1.) That is way way way too expensive of a price from an asset standpoint. Booker and Durant simply don't have that amount of trade value, especially when you consider leverage. This is about 4-5 assets too much.

2.) The depth chart is okay, but no real PG, and I would have some concerns defensively.

Amen / Holiday
Booker / Tate
Brooks / Eason
Durant / Jabari
Sengun / Adams

3.) The contracts would be unreasonable
Durant - 55m
Booker - 53m
Sengun - 40m
Amen - likely to be a max - 40m
Brooks - 20m
Jabari / Eason - 50m combined?

260m in payroll with those 7, so like 80 million over the tax?

The honest answer here is that Durant is worth nowhere near that contract at his age / production, and Booker is starting to look more like Zach Lavine everyday, so I would have serious concerns paying him 50+m with his level of impact.

[Kiss of Death]

So Houston becomes Phoenix?

No thanks.

Does Phoenix have anyone like Sengun, Eason, Thompson, Smith, and Brooks surrounding Durant and Booker? Kind of a lazy take. Not saying Houston should do it, but it doesn't make them just 2 guys and meh role players around them.

So, how does Houston pay Thompson, Eason and Smith with Booker and Durant’s contracts on the books?
Let Durant expire?
Cool.
Then Houston gave up all of that for a rental Durant and Booker.

No.
Thanks.

[ThatBoyNick]

No need to bring Durant in with Booker, send him to an older contender with a short window looking for that last push.


Give me Booker + Allen OR O'Neal instead

[JustBuzzin]

Çmon man you're not getting both KD and Booker while also keeping both Thompson and Sengun.

[cucad8]

3.) The contracts would be unreasonable
Durant - 55m
Booker - 53m
Sengun - 40m
Amen - likely to be a max - 40m
Brooks - 20m
Jabari / Eason - 50m combined?

260m in payroll with those 7, so like 80 million over the tax?

The honest answer here is that Durant is worth nowhere near that contract at his age / production, and Booker is starting to look more like Zach Lavine everyday, so I would have serious concerns paying him 50+m with his level of impact.

I'm not speaking on the value of the deal at all, but this is a pretty disingenuous post. 260 million in payroll?? When exactly?

Is Houston the only franchise in the league that is forced to pay salaries due in both 25/26, as well as 27/28? Thompson's max isn't happening in the next 2 years, so why include it alongside what Durant currently makes? Unless you think 39 year old Durant, when Thompson extends, will still be making 55 a year for Houston? Brooks' deal will be expired by the time Amen re-ups as well.

That'd be like me saying without Durant and Booker added, Houston is looking at :

FVV-45m
Green-33m
Sengun-40m
Amen-40m
Brooks-20m
Jabari/Eason-50m
Sheppard-10m
Londale-8m

OMG! Almost 250 million for those 9? So like 70m over the tax?!! What will they do?!

[Texas Chuck]

So Houston becomes Phoenix?

No thanks.

Does Phoenix have anyone like Sengun, Eason, Thompson, Smith, and Brooks surrounding Durant and Booker? Kind of a lazy take. Not saying Houston should do it, but it doesn't make them just 2 guys and meh role players around them.

So, how does Houston pay Thompson, Eason and Smith with Booker and Durant’s contracts on the books?
Let Durant expire?
Cool.
Then Houston gave up all of that for a rental Durant and Booker.

No.
Thanks.

But what did they give up really? Reed is the only player of real value there and obviously a lot of bloom is off that rose. So now its just a volume of picks. Durant shouldn't be worth but say one of them, but Booker is worth a bunch.

You pay the rental price for KD as part of the price to get Booker. Then he signs much cheaper or yeah you let him go if you think paying the kids makes more sense.

Maybe the actual price is a pick or two less. IDK. But let's not act like Houston is giving up a bunch of player value here. That total package of players probably isn't even positive.

[LarsV8]

I'm not speaking on the value of the deal at all, but this is a pretty disingenuous post. 260 million in payroll?? When exactly?

Is Houston the only franchise in the league that is forced to pay salaries due in both 25/26, as well as 27/28? Thompson's max isn't happening in the next 2 years, so why include it alongside what Durant currently makes? Unless you think 39 year old Durant, when Thompson extends, will still be making 55 a year for Houston? Brooks' deal will be expired by the time Amen re-ups as well.

That'd be like me saying without Durant and Booker added, Houston is looking at :

FVV-45m
Green-33m
Sengun-40m
Amen-40m
Brooks-20m
Jabari/Eason-50m
Sheppard-10m
Londale-8m

OMG! Almost 250 million for those 9? So like 70m over the tax?!! What will they do?!

If this is the incredibly dumb hill you want to die, so be it.

Point = Not feasible for contract concerns

[Kiss of Death]

Does Phoenix have anyone like Sengun, Eason, Thompson, Smith, and Brooks surrounding Durant and Booker? Kind of a lazy take. Not saying Houston should do it, but it doesn't make them just 2 guys and meh role players around them.

So, how does Houston pay Thompson, Eason and Smith with Booker and Durant’s contracts on the books?
Let Durant expire?
Cool.
Then Houston gave up all of that for a rental Durant and Booker.

No.
Thanks.

But what did they give up really? Reed is the only player of real value there and obviously a lot of bloom is off that rose. So now its just a volume of picks. Durant shouldn't be worth but say one of them, but Booker is worth a bunch.

You pay the rental price for KD as part of the price to get Booker. Then he signs much cheaper or yeah you let him go if you think paying the kids makes more sense.

Maybe the actual price is a pick or two less. IDK. But let's not act like Houston is giving up a bunch of player value here. That total package of players probably isn't even positive.

Cool.
Your team can trade for the two guys making over $100 M a year and can't even make the play-in.
The Rockets are happy where they are.

[meekrab]

I assume Houston would prefer 'Neither' over 'Both' by quite a wide margin. They're highly duplicative of each other, as Phoenix has already found out. If Durant's available for a distant first and some young player then maybe.

[GoBobs]

I would probably rather have J. Green than Booker. Their numbers are not that different. Green can attack the basket. Booker a soft, poor defense jump shooter.

Booker average 8/18
Green average 7/17

Green is 6 years younger, cheaper, shoots better from deep, and plays way better defense.

Booker is 6 months away from the rest of the league realizing he is a bad contract.

[GoBobs]

What the Suns failure has taught us is paying 100+ million per yer to Booker and Durrant is a terrible idea.

Nobody would give up 7 picks for that privilege.

Suns will likely get a couple mid firsts and some cap space for a Durrant rental.

[uraverage]

So Houston becomes Phoenix?

No thanks.

Underrated comment.

[Mr Puddles]

I would probably rather have J. Green than Booker. Their numbers are not that different. Green can attack the basket. Booker a soft, poor defense jump shooter.

Booker average 8/18
Green average 7/17

Green is 6 years younger, cheaper, shoots better from deep, and plays way better defense.

Booker is 6 months away from the rest of the league realizing he is a bad contract.

Booker is better than Green by a considerable margin. A first team all-NBA guard who finished 4th in MVP voting, led his team to the finals and to its franchise best record in wins.

These are Booker's playoff stats:

47 games 28ppg, 61 ts%, 5 rebounds 5 assists

We'll see in the coming years if Green puts up anything close to this in the coming years.

Green may still improve but at this point he's an ineffient scorer who hasnt shown much improvement on that end, with an iffy assist to turnover ratio.

Not saying Green can't improve, but he hasn't exactly been making strides during his time in the league thus far and at his current production it's highly debatable if he's even on a positive contract.

I get that people live in the moment and that the rockets just won 50 games while the Suns dissapointed, but a dissapointing season on a poorly constructed Suns team doesn't take away from the fact that Booker has been a far better player for as long as both guys have been in the league.

[GoBobs]

I would probably rather have J. Green than Booker. Their numbers are not that different. Green can attack the basket. Booker a soft, poor defense jump shooter.

Booker average 8/18
Green average 7/17

Green is 6 years younger, cheaper, shoots better from deep, and plays way better defense.

Booker is 6 months away from the rest of the league realizing he is a bad contract.

Booker is better than Green by a considerable margin. A first team all-NBA guard who finished 4th in MVP voting, led his team to the finals and to its franchise best record in wins.

These are Booker's playoff stats:

47 games 28ppg, 61 ts%, 5 rebounds 5 assists

We'll see in the coming years if Green puts up anything close to this in the coming years.

Green may still improve but at this point he's an ineffient scorer who hasnt shown much improvement on that end, with an iffy assist to turnover ratio.

Not saying Green can't improve, but he hasn't exactly been making strides during his time in the league thus far and at his current production it's highly debatable if he's even on a positive contract.

I get that people live in the moment and that the rockets just won 50 games while the Suns dissapointed, but a dissapointing season on a poorly constructed Suns team doesn't take away from the fact that Booker has been a far better player for as long as both guys have been in the league.

Still, I would rather have Green for 35 mil per year than Booker for 55 mil per year.

[jayjaysee]

Given Phoenix couldn’t keep the Luka/Kyrie (and AD) less mavericks out of the play-in.. I don’t know how badly someone is going to want to try to keep their duo..

But I think you figure out a way to make the value work without Reed… which could just be taking Reed out and adding Jabari?

Seems the ideal playstyle/fit for that expensive/ball heavy starting line up.. him and Thompson help Houston survive a one year extension for KD.

Still need a cheap vet PG in case Reed doesn’t develop quickly.. But yeah. And Eason takes KD’s spot in 2-3 years once the team gets expensive..

[Frankie]

Big fat no. Hard pass.