Kevin Durant is off to crew No. 5. The Houston Rockets have agreed to a cope with the Phoenix Suns to amass the 11-time All-NBA honoree, ESPN reported Sunday.
In return, the Suns will reportedly obtain veteran guards Jalen Inexperienced and Dillon Brooks. They’re going to additionally obtain six draft picks, together with the No. 10 general choose within the 2025 NBA Draft. The opposite 5 picks are second-round alternatives.
Durant, who might be 37 at first of subsequent season, is coming into the ultimate season of a four-year, $194.2 million deal.
This previous season, Durant averaged 26.6 factors, six rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per sport, whereas taking pictures 52.7/43.0/83.9 in 62 video games; he missed time resulting from ankle and calf accidents. The Suns went 36-46 and missed the playoffs.
Now, Durant will be part of a Rockets squad that was firmly within the playoff combine final 12 months. Ime Udoka, who was an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets throughout one in every of Durant’s seasons there, coached the Rockets to a 52-30 file in 2024-25, serving to them earn the No. 2 seed within the Western Convention.
The younger Rockets squad wound up being too overmatched by the Golden State Warriors, shedding within the first spherical in seven video games. Houston’s offense had bother scoring all through the sequence, placing up fewer than 100 factors in three of its losses.
Shortly after the Rockets’ season ended, many insiders speculated they might be within the combine to land a possible prime star on the commerce market this offseason. They had been shortly named as a prime suitor within the Durant sweepstakes, particularly because it turned obvious that the Suns would transfer the star ahead this offseason after their failed makes an attempt to take action forward of the commerce deadline in February.
Durant additionally had an curiosity in becoming a member of the Rockets. He reportedly listed them amongst his most popular commerce locations, with the Miami Warmth and San Antonio Spurs being the opposite two groups. The Minnesota Timberwolves had been additionally within the Durant sweepstakes, however he reportedly did not categorical a want to go there.
Because the information broke that he was getting traded to the Rockets, Durant was really talking at a panel throughout Fanatics Fest in New York Metropolis on Sunday.
“We’re gonna see man, we’re gonna see,” Durant mentioned when he was instructed concerning the information of the commerce.
How Kevin Durant commerce impacts 2025-26 NBA title odds
The deal was additionally agreed to only hours earlier than the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder are set to fulfill for Recreation 7 within the 2025 NBA Finals. As these two groups duke it out for the Larry O’Brien on Sunday night time, the Rockets have already positioned themselves to be among the many favorites to win all of it subsequent season. The Rockets (+750) now have the second-best odds to win the 2025-26 NBA title at DraftKings Sportsbook, solely trailing the Thunder (+250) as of Sunday afternoon.
Listed below are the 11 groups with the most effective odds to win the title in 2025-26, by way of DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder: +250 (wager $10 to win $35 whole)
- Houston Rockets: +750 (wager $10 to win $85 whole)
- New York Knicks: +900 (wager $10 to win $100 whole)
- Indiana Pacers: +950 (wager $10 to win $105 whole)
- Cleveland Cavaliers: +1100 (wager $10 to win $120 whole)
- Minnesota Timberwolves: +1400 (wager $10 to win $150 whole)
- Los Angeles Lakers: +1600 (wager $10 to win $170 whole)
- Denver Nuggets: +1700 (wager $10 to win $180 whole)
- San Antonio Spurs: +1800 (wager $10 to win $190 whole)
- Boston Celtics: +2200 (wager $10 to win $230 whole)
- Golden State Warriors: +2200 (wager $10 to win $230 whole)
Durant spent the primary 9 seasons of his NBA profession with the Seattle Supersonics/Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, adopted by a three-year stint with the Golden State Warriors, with whom Durant gained two championships. Durant then signed with the Brooklyn Nets, lacking his first season with the crew (2019-20) resulting from a torn Achilles tendon. On the 2023 NBA commerce deadline, Durant was traded to the Suns, the place he performed by the 2024-25 season.
Durant was the 2013-14 NBA MVP and is a two-time NBA Finals MVP.
This can be a creating story and might be up to date.
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