Kevin Durant Trade Rumors: Rockets' Interest in Suns Star Has Been 'Overstated'

After recently reporting that the Houston Rockets are interested in pursuing a trade for Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, NBA insider Marc Stein is now pumping the brakes on that rumor.

Stein reported on Sunday that the Rockets' interest in pursuing a trade for Durant "has been overstated from the jump."

It was just a week ago that Stein reported that Houston hoped to "see if dream trade target Kevin Durant were to become available down the road … no matter how adamant Phoenix has remained about its desire to keep Durant in the desert" (h/t HoopsHype). He had noted at the time that the Rockets were leaning toward waiting until the offseason to determine whether or not they would move on from one of their young players as part of their strategy for pursuing Durant.

However, Houston is off to an impressive 12-6 start to the season, ranking first in the Southwest Division. Stein now reports that the Rockets plan on forging ahead with their rising stars instead of blowing things up to bring in a bigger name.

"Houston is determined to prioritize internal development this season with its youthful roster off to a 12-6 start and has been miscast by rival front offices as a team looking to make a splashy move before the Feb. 6 trade deadline," Stein stated.

The Rockets have been trudging through a rebuild for years, but things are finally coming together with players like Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green leading the way. Still, Stein pointed out that there will come a time when Houston has to evaluate whether it's best to keep these young players or make a move to improve its roster.

"The Rockets, most importantly, intend to prioritize timeline considerations as much as talent and fit when they do make their next major trade, according to league sources," Stein wrote. "This is a roster, remember, that — beyond veterans Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks and Steven Adams — features seven first-round picks who are 23 or younger and who were selected between No. 2 (Jalen Green) and No. 20 (Cam Whitmore) overall."

Houston will be back in action on Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves (8-7).