Kevin Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets on Sunday, and there was one other group that was a finalist for him.
The Miami Warmth additionally negotiated with the Phoenix Suns for Durant and had been the opposite finalist for the previous NBA MVP, in response to Shams Charania. The Rockets gained the bidding for Durant by buying and selling Jalen Inexperienced, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 draft decide this 12 months and 5 second-round picks to Phoenix for KD.
We don’t know the main points of the Warmth’s supply, however they reportedly wouldn’t embody Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, Haywood Highsmith or the No. 20 decide in a commerce.
The Suns buying and selling Durant is not any shock. It was an anticipated consequence after Phoenix dissatisfied this season with a 36-46 report and didn’t qualify for the playoffs. He was traded to the Suns in 2023 and performed two and a half seasons with them, however the group by no means had the success it had envisioned. Even the addition of Bradley Beal to present it a “massive three” with Devin Booker didn’t work out. So now Durant is headed to the Rockets, which completed second within the West this season.
The Warmth had been in the same spot to the Suns and completed 37-45 to overlook the postseason. Their season went sideways, they usually dealt Jimmy Butler to the Warriors midseason. They had been trying so as to add one other big-time participant to assist fill the void left by the Butler commerce however had no such luck.
Durant is beneath contract for the upcoming season at $54.7M. He might be a free agent after that. Houston is hoping he’ll propel it to the highest of the West.
