Shams: Kevin Durant Traded to Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, No. 10, Five 2nd Round Picks

[zero rings]

Devastating trade for the Suns. They better hope that #10 pick pans out because that's the only thing of value they got in this trade. Green is absolutely terrible.

[Ambrose]

Booker/Beal/Green/Allen is hilarious roster construction

[VanWest82]

Interesting poll results. Suns won this trade imo. KD is too old to lead a team and will surely bring discord into that locker room as he has at every stop.

Suns have a total mess of a roster with Beal, Booker and now Green on the books. Who all play the same position and play zero defense. How is this a win for them?

Because they had screwed up their roster and had no path to contention. Getting something back for KD that can be used to build for the future was step one of what will surely be a multi-year transition/rebuild. This trade was about getting assets back not building a playoff team that makes sense. This is only step one.

[ORLMagicGirl15]

Getting a top-10 pick for a 37 year-old is a pretty good return for Phoenix.

It’s their own pick.

[Optms]

Devastating trade for the Suns. They better hope that #10 pick pans out because that's the only thing of value they got in this trade. Green is absolutely terrible.

Knowing the Suns, they select another SG with that 10th pick lol

[gmoney411]

Interesting poll results. Suns won this trade imo. KD is too old to lead a team and will surely bring discord into that locker room as he has at every stop.

They didn't bring him in to lead the team. They brought him in to get buckets. The offense will still run through Sengun and Bari/Tari/Amen will make KD's job on defense much easier. As much as I liked having Brooks he plays a role that the Rockets have the most depth at. if Reed or Cam can step up the Rockets are set.

[pepe1991]

Suns were 3-17 without Durant this year and 32-29 with him.


People need to get over themself.

If somebody tells you XY player averages 26,6 ppg, has 6 rpg 4,2 apg on 64% TS , would you consider that player elite? You would make argument for him being top 10 in nba.

Durant's reputation is way worst than he is as player. People nowadays forget that Bucks and Giannis only have a title because of 1 cm of Durant's shoe over a line, and whole "joining 73 wins team" still fails to mention very same team - lost in finals.

[thelead]

Interesting poll results. Suns won this trade imo. KD is too old to lead a team and will surely bring discord into that locker room as he has at every stop.

Suns have a total mess of a roster with Beal, Booker and now Green on the books. Who all play the same position and play zero defense. How is this a win for them?

I have Houston winning this deal but it's not October. PHX has time to balance the roster.

[Backcountry]

Not bad for both teams considering the situation. I’m not a fan of Houston moving Brooks but I guess they have Amen so it’s okay… Brooks brought an edge though. Either way, both teams got what they wanted.

I think Amen will be the edge guy. He showed some of that this season. Houston improved at a fairly low cost.

I tend to agree about Amen... and he's not a loose canon. On the cost front, I'm not discounting what KD's extension will look like though. That could be ugly for Houston with Jabari and Tari up for extensions this summer too.... and they still have to bring back FVV.

You think they bring back Fred? I always got the impression that his salary was more cap filler than worth. It will be interesting to see what happens there. He's a pretty good floor general (and really overmaligned in Toronto), but he is overpaid right now. I wonder if Houston plans to replace him or offer him a lot less by his next contract.

[Optms]

Interesting poll results. Suns won this trade imo. KD is too old to lead a team and will surely bring discord into that locker room as he has at every stop.

Suns have a total mess of a roster with Beal, Booker and now Green on the books. Who all play the same position and play zero defense. How is this a win for them?

Because they had screwed up their roster and had no path to contention. Getting something back for KD that can be used to build for the future was step one of what will surely be a multi-year transition/rebuild. This trade was about getting assets back not building a playoff team that makes sense. This is only step one.

Yeah, they get back the 10th pick who more than likely is a role player.

As a result they now have green making max money on the books instead of an expiring KD contract. If they want real assets back, they need to trade Booker already.

[JujitsuFlip]

Green booker and Beal is an ugly as hell lineup

Suns just gotta deal with Beal for one more season and then cut him/buy him out. Then they can stretch his $57 million over 3 years. And in the new CBA they could actually spread that final season over 3 more years.

2025-26: $53.7 million
-------------
2026-27: $19 million (dead)
2027-28: $19 million (dead)
2028-29: $6.3 million (dead)
2029-30: $6.3 million (dead)
2030-31: $6.3 million (dead)

Beal is never going to waive his no trade clause.

In this scenario, stretching doesn't even make sense. Better to just punt on the next two seasons. Those first two years losing 19million in cap room/lux tax is too much.

I'd still cut him next summer, even if ya don't stretch him.

But punting does the Suns no good as a whole, since they don't own their own picks.

Rockets outright own the Suns 2027 1st.

[G R E Y]

What did you guys offer?

We don't know for certain but likely Vassell, Barnes, 14th picks + 2nds

That probably would have helped the Suns financially and even out the players positions.

Plus Vassell and Barnes have better spacing and 3s shooting for their careers than Green and Brooks and Barnes is coming off the books at the end of this upcoming season. It is what it is.

[EricAnderson]

Thats it for KD?

He’s in his late 30’s it’s not like he’s got a lot of good seasons left

This season Durant averaged 26.6 points, .527 field, .430 threes, 1.2 blocks... so when will he have a bad season?
Age 37 ... 26ppg
Age 38 ... 26ppg
Age 39 ... 25ppg
Age 40 ... 25ppg
Age 41 ... 24ppg
And might actually score more than 26ppg, because he's getting more efficient with age!

Durant 3-pointer shooting:
Phoenix .427
Brooklyn .400
Golden State .384
Oklahoma City .380

Good point he will just keep getting better and never age and be the first player to defy father time

[flow]

The real question is - Did Houston impove themselves for next season?

The Pacers last year were in a similar position to Houston this year. They chose to hold thier cards and run it back. Now they're on the brink of a championship. Houston just decided to do the opposite. They cashed in their nucleus/chemistry instead of building on it.

.

[Froob]

lmao, is Pat Riley like a bottom 3 GM at this point?

Read on Twitter

Spo should demand Pat be retired or he wants a trade asap

[chrisab123]

Rockets for getting out of that Jalen Green contract.

[WestbrookGOATed]

I think the Suns got just about as good of a deal as they possibly could for 36 year old Durant.

[davidv2001]

As a Rockets’ fan, I’m very happy they got it done. Stone didn’t pay too much, and Durant addresses this team’s weaknesses like a glove. The Rockets needed shooting, a number one offensive option and a late-game closer, and they got one of the best in the NBA. Plus, they can surround him with defenders like Amen Thompson and Tari Eason, and VanVleet is a good defender at point guard.

[flow]

The real question is - Did Houston impove themselves for next season?

The Pacers last year were in a similar position to Houston this year. They chose to hold thier cards and run it back. Now they're on the brink of a championship. Houston just decided to do the opposite. They cashed in their nucleus/chemistry instead of building on it.

.

[Shock Defeat]

The real question is - Did Houston impove themselves for next season?

The Pacers last year were in a similar position to Houston this year. They chose to hold thier cards and run it back. Now they're on the brink of a championship. Houston just decided to do the opposite. They cashed in their nucleus/chemistry instead of building on it.

.

You don;t know what you're talking about. You think Jalen Green is part of the Rockets nucleus?