Kevin Durant Eyes New Rockets Contract After Suns Trade, 'Can't Tell You Exactly When'
Kevin Durant made it clear on Monday that he envisions a contract extension with the Houston Rockets at some point in the future after being traded from the Phoenix Suns during the offseason.
While Durant expects to sign a new deal, he added that he "can't tell you exactly when" it might happen:
Durant is owed $54.7 million in the final year of his current deal.
Houston traded Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA draft and five second-round draft picks to Phoenix for Durant on June 22, per ESPN's Shams Charania.
The Rockets were among the teams Durant was reportedly willing to commit to on a multiyear extension as the Suns were shopping him around. However, a new deal has not yet been agreed upon.
The Durant trade was just the start of what turned out to be an active period for the Rockets. They added Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela in free agency to round out a roster that looks more than capable of competing with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top spot in the Western Conference next season.
ESPN's Bobby Marks broke down the finances for the Rockets amid all of this roster retooling:
While it's not clear what the terms of his potential extension would be, it would only continue to add to his total career earnings The only player in NBA history who has made more money from his playing contracts is LeBron James.
The Rockets' investment in Durant, which includes the trade package to Phoenix, is a bet on him being the missing piece to them being a title contender in the Western Conference as soon as next season.
Houston is starting from a very good position after finishing 2024-25 as the No. 2 seed in the West with a 52-30 record, but a first-round playoff loss to the Golden State Warriors did show the roster cracks.
Scoring, in particular, was the Rockets' glaring issue. They ranked 13th in offensive rating during the regular season and were held to 93 points or fewer in three of the seven postseason games against the Warriors.
Durant is coming off three consecutive seasons in which he averaged at least 25.0 points per game, shot 50.0 percent from the field overall and 40.0 percent from three.
The Rockets haven't had a player average 25.0 points per game in a season since 2019-20 when both James Harden and Russell Westbrook did it.
