Rockets may have left Suns in a nightmare scenario with Kevin Durant trade

As the Phoenix Suns traded Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets this offseason, it seemed as though the return they commanded was rather fair given the relative lack of leverage they had in dealing the near 37-year-old superstar.

Yet, as the offseason keeps evolving and the Suns' roster continues to crystallize for next season, it has become clearer and clearer that, with the Durant trade, the Rockets may have contributed to the ongoing development of their rivals' downfall.

With a number of hefty contracts and a similar number of questionable fits on their roster, Phoenix will need a miracle in order to rebound into contention anytime soon, and Houston certainly had a hand in the way it has played out.

Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks may leave the Suns somehow worse off than they were before

As the Rockets traded Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and the draft pick that ultimately became Khaman Maluach to Phoenix, the organization certainly felt good about their ability to bring in a superstar-caliber scorer while not sacrificing any of what they see as their established young core moving forward.

The Suns, meanwhile, had made the best of a bad situation. With Durant needing to be moved after the team finished just 36-46 and missed the play-in tournament entirely, they ultimately got a rather solid return despite the limited serious suitors that came forward for his services.

Now, however, Phoenix is prepared to enter the season with a starting five of Devin Booker, Green, Grayson Allen, Brooks and Nick Richards: a combination that could be a recipe for disaster.

For starters, the primary reason that Houston decided to move on from Green was his frustratingly inconsistent offense and sub-par perimeter shot. While the Suns will have Booker alongside Green to facilitate some off-ball action for the young guard, it is quite possible that he does not live up to the value of his three-year, $105 million contract.

Moreover, Brooks, who is a deeply competitive and hard-nosed player, may not take kindly to the idea of playing for a non-competitive team, and, if the Suns continue to perform how they did last season, there could be some serious disgruntlement on that roster sooner rather than later.

Most importantly, however, Phoenix's center depth, despite their addition of Maluach, is also in shambles. Richards, who is set to be their starter, has missed significant time due to injury in all of his NBA seasons, and, through three Summer League games, Maluach did not necessarily look league-ready.

Therefore, in the process of adding a piece that will hopefully bring them closer to championship contention, the Rockets also managed to leave one of their competitors in the dust for the foreseeable future.