NBA Insider identifies shocking reason Kevin Durant trade could backfire on the Rockets

The Houston Rockets are hoping everything clicks in 2025-26. The Ringer Podcast's Chris Vernon recently pointed out that that's not always how it goes when Kevin Durant is on your squad.

It's an uncomfortable conversation, but it's worth confronting. Durant has struggled to find team success since leaving the Warriors in 2019. He's a common denominator amongst a series of disappointing groups.

Vernon didn't hesitate to outline that reality.

Rockets' Kevin Durant hasn't always won big

"When you change things, there is always a chance that your change did not make you better...I just watched what happened in Phoenix (and Brooklyn before that)".

-Chris Vernon

For posterity, it should be said that Vernon mentioned Phoenix, and his co-host David Jacoby interjected to add Brooklyn. Vernon didn't seem to mind.

Why would he? It's part of the picture. The Nets fell short under Durant's watch. So did the Suns. Is Durant doing something that makes it difficult for his teams to win?

Rockets' Kevin Durant knows how to win

That feels like attributing causality to a correlation.

Durant went to the NBA Finals with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He won two championships with the Warriors. Sure, those teams were talented. That's typically the case when a team wins an NBA title, and Durant was either the best or second best player on all those squads.

In Brooklyn, Durant got injured. So did James Harden. Kyrie Irving got suspended. It's hard to make the case that Durant was the reason why those teams fell short.

The Suns erred by pushing too many chips in for Durant. They erred again by adding Bradley Beal to a roster featuring him and Devin Booker. Phoenix's depth was depleted, and the pieces they were left with didn't fit. The Suns had a surplus of shot creation, and a shortage of - well, everything else.

That won't be the case in Houston. They bought low on Durant. That allowed them to keep most of their roster in check. This will be the deepest roster Durant has been on in some time:

Does that mean he's guaranteed to work out in Houston?

Rockets must manage Kevin Durant

No.

Durant got hurt in Brooklyn. He could get hurt again in Houston. At 37, he's a near lock to miss some games. The Rockets need to hope those games come during a light stretch of the schedule rather than during the postseason.

It's also worth noting his mercurial personality. I don't know Durant, so I hesitate to draw any conclusions about him on a personal level. It does feel fair to say that he's not one to fit in - he's one to stand out, for better or for worse.

There are no guarantees of success in the NBA. Durant knows that too well. The Rockets still made a smart gamble by acquiring him:

Now, they just need him to click.