Grading a blockbuster trade proposal that has Rockets landing Kevin Durant

These pieces are getting repetitive. 

The Houston Rockets are the second seed in the Western Conference. They don't need to make a major trade. An outlet has proposed one anyway: 

Etc, etc. 

I should cull the smaller outlets. Every trade proposal may not be worth grading. Still, it's worth looking at when a major outlet like ESPN suggests something. 

They just proposed a deal that has Kevin Durant landing in Houston. 

Rockets land Durant in massive proposal 

This is Bobby Marks we're talking about. He's not peddling nonsense. Marks is a preeminent NBA insider. He has some idea of what's happening around the league.

Here's the package he's got the Rockets landing Durant for: 

Phoenix Suns receive: Dillon Brooks, Cam Whitmore, Jae'Sean Tate, Jock Landale, 2025 First Round Pick (PHX), 2027 First-Round Pick (PHX) 

Houston Rockets receive: Kevin Durant 

The Rockets don't need to make a major trade. Still, this one would have to be tempting: 

Wouldn't it? 

Rockets shouldn't rush into win-now move 

Let's be honest: if the Rockets flipped Brooks, some expiring deals, a young player who can't find 20 minutes in their rotation, and two first-round picks for one of the best players of his generation, it would be celebrated. 

This would be a fair value exchange for Houston. That's undeniable. 

They should still pass on the deal. 

What's the long-term vision here? Durant is 36. The odds of him elevating the Rockets to an NBA title are so low that they're practically negligible. 

He will make them a far better team. A Conference Finals run would be comfortably in play. Still, vanquishing the Thunder would be difficult, and even if the Rockets managed, the Celtics or Cavaliers would be favored in the Finals. 

I'm having trepidation as I type. I could be wrong! Kevin Durant is incredible. He may still have enough in the tank to usher an already talented Rockets team to the NBA Finals. 

For argument's sake, let's assume he can't. In a few years, the Rockets will likely wish they had, say, the 12th pick in the 2025 draft and the 8th pick in the 2027 draft on their roster rather than a nearly 40-year-old legend. 

So, the reservations here are mainly about the draft capital. It is worth noting that Brooks has come to embody this team's unique competitive spirit. He's set a cultural tone for the Rockets, but his play has been inconsistent of late. Some Rockets fans will loath to part with Whitmore, but again, he's scarcely on the floor anyway. 

Those picks could be vital pieces down the line. The Rockets should capitalize on the opportunity to add cost-controlled talent to this core. They don't need to make a blockbuster trade that costs them draft capital: 

In case nobody had mentioned it yet. 

Grade: B