Kevin Durant is off to team No. 5. The Houston Rockets have agreed to a deal with the Phoenix Suns to acquire the 11-time All-NBA honoree, ESPN reported Sunday.
In return, the Suns will reportedly receive veteran guards Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks. They’ll also receive six draft picks, including the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The other five picks are second-round selections.
Durant, who will be 37 at the start of next season, is entering the final season of a four-year, $194.2 million deal.
This past season, Durant averaged 26.6 points, six rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game, while shooting 52.7/43.0/83.9 in 62 games; he missed time due to ankle and calf injuries. The Suns went 36-46 and missed the playoffs.
Now, Durant will join a Rockets squad that was firmly in the playoff mix last year. Ime Udoka, who was an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets during one of Durant’s seasons there, coached the Rockets to a 52-30 record in 2024-25, helping them earn the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
The young Rockets squad wound up being too overmatched by the Golden State Warriors, losing in the first round in seven games. Houston’s offense had trouble scoring throughout the series, putting up fewer than 100 points in three of its losses.
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Shortly after the Rockets’ season ended, many insiders speculated they would be in the mix to land a potential top star on the trade market this offseason. They were quickly named as a top suitor in the Durant sweepstakes, especially as it became apparent that the Suns would move the star forward this offseason after their failed attempts to do so ahead of the trade deadline in February.
Durant also had an interest in joining the Rockets. He reportedly listed them among his preferred trade destinations, with the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs being the other two teams. The Minnesota Timberwolves were also in the Durant sweepstakes, but he reportedly didn’t express a desire to go there.
As the news broke that he was getting traded to the Rockets, Durant was actually speaking at a panel during Fanatics Fest in New York City on Sunday.
“We’re gonna see man, we’re gonna see,” Durant said when he was told about the news of the trade.
How Kevin Durant trade impacts 2025-26 NBA title odds
The deal was also agreed to just hours before the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder are set to meet for Game 7 in the 2025 NBA Finals. As those two teams duke it out for the Larry O’Brien on Sunday night, the Rockets have already positioned themselves to be among the favorites to win it all next season. The Rockets (+750) now have the second-best odds to win the 2025-26 NBA title at DraftKings Sportsbook, only trailing the Thunder (+250) as of Sunday afternoon.
Here are the 11 teams with the best odds to win the title in 2025-26, via DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Oklahoma City Thunder: +250 (bet $10 to win $35 total)
- Houston Rockets: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
- New York Knicks: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
- Indiana Pacers: +950 (bet $10 to win $105 total)
- Cleveland Cavaliers: +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total)
- Minnesota Timberwolves: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
- Los Angeles Lakers: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
- Denver Nuggets: +1700 (bet $10 to win $180 total)
- San Antonio Spurs: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
- Boston Celtics: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
- Golden State Warriors: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
Durant spent the first nine seasons of his NBA career with the Seattle Supersonics/Oklahoma City Thunder, followed by a three-year stint with the Golden State Warriors, with whom Durant won two championships. Durant then signed with the Brooklyn Nets, missing his first season with the team (2019-20) due to a torn Achilles tendon. At the 2023 NBA trade deadline, Durant was traded to the Suns, where he played through the 2024-25 season.
Durant was the 2013-14 NBA MVP and is a two-time NBA Finals MVP.
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