The Houston Rockets have been identified as a potential trade partner for Kevin Durant if the Phoenix Suns decide to move him this offseason, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic on March 10.
“Sources informed The Republic the most ideal return on a Durant trade is regaining three first-round picks and a young player as part of a multi-team deal tied to getting under the second apron,” Rankin reported.
He mentioned that both Houston and San Antonio “make sense as trade partners for first-round picks.”
Before this season, the Rockets had already secured the Suns’ first-round picks for 2025, 2027, and 2029 through a strategic deal with the Brooklyn Nets. This move allowed Brooklyn to recover its own picks from Houston, which they had lost in the James Harden trade, as they looked to rebuild after dealing Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks.
At the time, former ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski noted that Houston’s decision to acquire those picks was made with a potential Durant trade in mind.
The Suns now have the opportunity to follow a similar path as Brooklyn by reacquiring their original picks in a trade for Durant. This would provide them with flexibility, allowing them to either rebuild—potentially trading away Devin Booker and Bradley Beal as well—or use Durant to acquire another star to pair with Booker and Beal.
Standing Pat at the Trade Deadline
Despite the Suns entertaining offers for Durant, the Rockets chose not to make any moves at the trade deadline. They wanted to evaluate their young core, led by Alperen Sengun, who signed a five-year, $185 million rookie extension, and Jalen Green, whose three-year, $106 million rookie extension is considered a valuable trade asset. The “poison pill” restrictions on their contracts will be lifted on July 1.
Rockets general manager Rafael Stone commented on this approach, saying:
“Of course, my job is to be open to everything, so I’m not going to not do my job,” Stone said on SiriusXM’s NBA Radio on Dec. 10. “We like this team. We definitely do not intend to change anything, and I would be shocked if something changes this season.”
At the time, Houston was the third seed in the Western Conference.
“We like where we’re at,” Stone continued. “We want to continue to develop our guys, full stop. Will I listen to other teams? Of course I will, that’s my job. But again, there’s no part of me, there’s no part of our decision-making process that suggests that we’re looking to do anything big now or in the near term.
“We definitely want this group to be as good as it can be this year and then we’ll evaluate things at the end of the year,” Stone added. “But the hope is very much that this core group can lead us to where we want to go and that—from a transactional perspective—we’re largely done.”
A Strong Opportunity Ahead
The Rockets (40-25) have dropped to the fifth seed due to injuries but have won their last three games. They are now just one game behind the third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers (40-23), who will be without LeBron James for a week or two due to a left groin strain.
This presents a great opportunity for Houston to climb the standings, secure home-court advantage, and make a deep playoff run.
If Durant becomes available this summer, the Rockets are well-positioned to meet Phoenix’s trade demands. However, the final decision rests with Durant, who holds significant leverage as he enters the last season of the four-year, $194 million contract he originally signed with the Brooklyn Nets before being traded to the Suns.
