Durant Trade Could Be Better for the Phoenix Suns Than You Think

The trade was made by the Phoenix Suns, sending an elderly legend to the Houston Rockets in exchange for a rising star and a defensive merchant. Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, two valuable pieces to a young, resurgent playoff team, are now heading to Phoenix. They traded away for a Kevin Durant, who isn't even the Brooklyn Nets version. That Kevin Durant, who put Oklahoma City on the pro sports map and helped the Warriors become a basketball odyssey during the last decade, is long gone.

The Rockets were on the verge of becoming one of the NBA's elite squads. Following the first season under head coach Ime Udoka, the team won 41 games, an increase from the 22 games won in the previous season. They finished 52-30 this season and clinched the second seed spot in the Western Conference, their best record since the 2018-19 season when they finished 53-29 under Mike D'Antoni. Despite being knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the Golden State Warriors in six games, there was a clear sign of great things to come in Houston. The city soon experienced winning basketball for the first time since the days of James Harden.

Jalen Green, their brightest star, who is still young and getting better, is clawing at the ceiling of his full potential. Dillon Brooks, a key signing for the Rockets, contributed to their becoming one of the most disruptive defenses in the league. Not only are the Rockets losing two impact players, but they will lose the chance to get better by including in the trade package for Kevin Durant their tenth overall draft pick and five second-round draft picks in this upcoming draft. One of the most improved squads might hit regression through this trade.

This trade package gives the Suns added power to a finesse team. A team that just went through a failed experiment of creating a super team of Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant team with Devin Booker. Hiring head coach Mike Budenholzer should've gotten the Suns' franchise back to contention after the Milwaukee Bucks fired him after leading the Bucks to 50-plus victories during four of the five seasons he coached there. Also, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to an NBA title in 2021. Instead, the Suns' 2024-25 season ended with 36 wins, missing the playoffs. The athleticism of Jalen Green, the rock-solid defense of Dillon Brooks, two first-round spots at 10th and 29th overall this year, and now six second-round picks in the future give them a good chance to make an overnight turnaround next season.

While helping out the Suns by giving them so much draft capital and two players for a future Hall of Famer who doesn't have so much left to give to a young basketball team, all this after giving head coach Ime Udoka a contract extension and another one to center Steven Adams makes no sense. It's a price too expensive for a legend who is a has-been superstar. Durant did finish the season sixth in points per game with a 26.6 points per game average, but age has been catching up with him through injuries for the past couple of seasons. His presence would be more of a benefit for ticket sales than wins for the Houston Rockets.

However, it was amazing to see this Rockets team without an established superstar win 52 games and come into the postseason as a number two seed in the Western Conference. Proving the coaching capabilities of Ime Udoka. It's unnecessary to have stars to win, but the depth of players capable of playing decent team basketball is needed. The Rockets lost that depth with the draft capital and the face of their franchise, along with their best defender, given away to Phoenix. The Suns have that depth now to help out Devin Booker. This could also help their new head coach, Jordan Ott, coming from the Cavaliers, to use a similar winning formula with this new Phoenix Suns roster, shaped up to be more aggressive to contend with the growing competition of the Western Conference.

Main Image via