Rockets just revealed what Durant trade means for Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun

The Houston Rockets are thrilled with the Kevin Durant trade, but according to a front office member who spoke with Keith Smith of Spotrac, they didn’t feel as though they had to make a move. That said, they do believe Durant puts them in a different tier of NBA contenders.

“What a whirlwind! From the KD (Kevin Durant) trade to all the signings and other trades, it’s been a busy summer for us,” a Rockets front office executive told Smith. “We didn’t finish last season saying we needed to reshape our roster, but the playoffs showed us just how close we were. Not waiting too long to get our core guys deeper into the playoffs became something we focused on. Getting KD gives us a different ceiling and we think it raised our floor too.”

The Rockets want to go for it.

How can Kevin Durant help the Rockets?

Last season, the Rockets struggled to find offense. In the regular season, it didn’t matter as much. They leaned on their elite defense, allowing Alperen Sengun to run the show, but once the postseason came around, it was a slog.

The game slowed down, which worked well for their defense-first style, but in the end, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors were too much. The Rockets needed more scoring. Durant provides that.

However, they didn’t feel pressured to make a trade, which makes sense. Their core last season was super young, with Sengun, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, and others at the helm.

They could have depended on the development of all three of those guys in order for improvement next season, but they decided not to wait. They want to win now and in the future.

Adding Durant gives the Rockets an immediate source of offense while also giving Thompson, Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., and the rest of the team a chance to win at a very young age. Houston should be one of the top contenders in the Western Conference next year.

Thompson and Sengun, in particular, have very high ceilings. One seems ready to break out as a defensive-oriented superstar, while the other is one of the most skilled big men in the league. Yet both have only played seven total postseason games.

Durant will help them get past the first round (at least, in theory). With him leading the way on the offensive end, the Rockets should have a chance to make a very deep playoff run, giving Thompson and Sengu very valuable experience. And maybe they could even win it all.

Regardless, the Rockets knew they didn’t have to trade for Durant, but the value of the deal was too good for them to pass up.