Rockets made the NBA summer's biggest move in Durant blockbuster

The Houston Rockets shocked the NBA world by acquiring Kevin Durant this summer. It was the biggest move of the NBA offseason, and it's being recognized accordingly.

That should come as no surprise. Imagine someone who just got out of a coma. Their first question is "Who was the best NBA player to get traded this summer?" (He's a big NBA fan). If you said "Kevin Durant", they'd say "Ah. OK!".

Durant is a first ballot Hall of Famer. He ought to have a major impact on the Rockets' title odds.

ESPN is giving him his due recognition.

Rockets' Kevin Durant identified as NBA's biggest offseason acquisition

"(Durant's) role in Houston couldn't be clearer. In joining the club that finished dead last in the league in effective field goal rate in the clutch (43.8%) during the regular season, Durant will be expected to serve as a closer and No. 1 option on offense when the going gets tough."

- Chris Herring, ESPN

Herring is right on the money. The Rockets enjoyed tremendous success in 2024-25 with their rugged defense and aggressive offensive rebounding. It worked - to an extent - but the season's results left Houston wanting for more.

Hence, the addition of Durant. The Rockets are hoping that plugging one of the most efficient volume scorers in NBA history into their (already competent) offense will drag their attack into the top-10. There's not another player who moved teams this summer who's strapped with those types of expectations:

Does anyone even come close?

Rockets blockbuster was the biggest of the summer

The Magic's acquisition of Desmond Bane clocked in second on this list.

That was a big deal, too. Bane is a fantastic player. He's also just 27. In theory, the Magic acquired Bane to be a long-term complement to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. By contrast, Durant is more of a placeholder for the Rockets.

Still, Bane is not Durant. Don't overthink it. If the question is "who was the bigger acquisition", the answer is intuitively Kevin Durant.

The same could be said for the Nuggets' addition of Cameron Johnson. He's a perfect fit who will make the Nuggets a more formidable squad. Still, on a one-season basis, the Nuggets would have improved more by adding a shot maker like Durant.

Nobody else is even close. Mike Brown ranked fourth. He's a coach. Deandre Ayton came fifth, and if you think he's a bigger acquisition than Durant, you must be discussing literal size.

Durant is one of the NBA's brightest stars. The Rockets added him to bolster their championship odds in 2025-26:

No other team did more to accomplish the same goal.