Rockets’ Kevin Durant trade keeps looking better and better

It’s been over a year since the Rockets traded for Kevin Durant and they have few regrets so far. Durant’s addition has cracked open a potential title window for the Rockets, and they’ve also managed assets brilliantly to continue their team-building efforts. Although last season was a bit of a wasted year, the Rockets are still in prime position to benefit from acquiring Durant.

The Rockets did a great job in the Durant trade 

One immediate piece of brilliance from the Rockets front office was negotiating Durant to an affordable extension. He signed a 2-year/$90 million extension as soon as he reached Houston, a far cry from the max deal that a player of his caliber could demand. That deal was the first sign that the Rockets front office is ready to build a contender.

It does include a player option in 2027-28, which could be problematic if Durant doesn’t extend or commit next season. But it also gives the Rockets some degree of flexibility to part ways with Durant if things don’t work out. Either option could work for Houston, depending on how their younger stars develop.

Durant’s cheaper deal also gave the Rockets more flexibility to pursue worthy trade candidates. Combined with some other discounts they’ve gotten over the years, namely Alperen Sengun, the Rockets have enough space to add another difference maker without sending out any of their top few players. 

Houston didn’t give up too much either

It can be tempting to sell the farm when acquiring a player like Durant. In fact, his previous team did just that when the Suns traded Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and a host of picks for Durant. But the Rockets were able to avoid the same fate.

They mostly only gave up spare parts and less costly draft capital - one first-rounder in the 2025 draft and a handful of seconds. On the player side, Houston gave up Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green. Losing Brooks hurt but no one in the front office is losing sleep over Green.

Compared to other recent star trades, the Rockets made out like bandits. Part of that was from Durant’s older age, since he was already 36 at the time of the trade. But he hasn’t declined yet and continues to retain high trade value for contending teams, if the Rockets decide to change course in the near future.

Thanks to his versatile playstyle and resilient scoring, Durant can help any team that needs more offensive firepower. That’s good insurance for the Rockets and only makes their initial trade for Durant look better in retrospect. Not to mention, he’s still an All-NBA talent whose elite shooting and scoring make life easier for his young teammates. 

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