Kevin Durant Reportedly Traded to Rockets, Suns Get Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Picks

Kevin Durant's time with the Phoenix Suns is over after two-and-a-half seasons.

The team is trading the 15-time All-Star to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft and five second-round draft picks, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Charania also noted the Miami Heat were involved in "deep conversations" before the completed deal to Houston.

NBA Insider Jake Fischer added the second-round picks will stretch to 2032.

Back in November, team governor Mat Ishbia made it clear he didn't want Durant, who's eligible for free agency in 2026, to go anywhere.

"[Durant] loves being in Phoenix, we love having him," Ishbia said to Charania. "He's off to an amazing start this season—one of the MVP leaders—and we're off to a very good start. We expect Kevin to sign an extension, be with us for the long term. We hope he finishes his career here in Phoenix."

The organization sent a far different message months later with the NBA trade deadline growing closer.

As it became apparent they couldn't find a suitor for Bradley Beal, the Suns explored deals centered around Durant. Per multiple reports, one deal that would've netted Jimmy Butler for Phoenix fell through because KD didn't want to return to the Golden State Warriors.

After the deadline passed and he remained on the Suns, Durant said he was ready to move on from the saga.

"It's just part of the business,” he told reporters on Feb. 10. "Everybody's bought and sold in this league. Anybody can be up for auction, so I understand that. It's just about getting back on the court and trying to go out and play the game that I love.

"It's part of the business though—we've all got to understand that."

Whether that reflected his true feelings was up for debate, though.

On the Feb. 12 episode of Get Up, ESPN's Brian Windhorst suggested that Durant "is probably gonna get traded this summer," which was a common belief among all of the involved parties.

Once Phoenix seriously entertained the idea of trading Durant and explored actual offers, there was no going back. President of basketball operations James Jones knew the roster was badly in need of reinforcements and he had few other options.

Beal is no longer a positive asset. He became the highest-paid sixth man in NBA history when head coach Mike Budenholzer moved him to the bench in January. And the three-time All-Star is perfectly happy to use his no-trade clause to veto a deal he doesn't like.

Any path for the Suns to get serious upgrades or reset for the future rested squarely on moving Durant or Devin Booker.

Booker probably had more value because he's younger and under contract for three more seasons, but trading him would've been received poorly by the fanbase. For now, Durant was the more expendable of the two, and this trade presents a chance for Jones to retool around Booker.

Injuries and age mean Durant no longer provides a shortcut to a deep playoff run. He continues to perform at a high level, averaging 26.6 points on 52.7 percent shooting in 2024-25. He was limited to 62 appearances, though, and has logged 70-plus appearances just once since his tearing his Achilles in the 2019 NBA Finals.

Acquiring KD won't provide the boost for Houston it would've five or six years ago. Him being on an expiring contract means this could be a short-term partnership, too.

As a win-now transaction, this was still one of the better options on the table for the Rockets.

Durant is more than a decade older than Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason, and having him on such a different timeline than the rest of the core can present some challenges.

Houston's young stars are still in the development phase of their careers as the team pivots toward more of a championship-or-bust mindset. You don't trade for Durant in the hope of just reaching the conference finals.

The Rockets are about to find out very quickly whether their emerging talent, which led them to a 52-30 record and No. 2 seed in the Western Conference this season can handle the weight that comes with being a title contender.

It's a big swing to take for a franchise on the rise, but they didn't have to dip into their deep well of future draft picks to make it happen. Durant also gives them the go-to scoring option they lacked in the postseason that played a significant role in their first-round loss to the Golden State Warriors.