Kevin Durant traded to the Rockets last summer was supposed to be the move that unlocked Houston’s championship window. Eleven months later, the conversation is whether the partnership is going to last another season.
The Rockets got bounced by the Lakers in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Six games. Final score in the clincher was 98-78. Houston ended the season without a single playoff series win, which is not what you expect when you trade for one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.
The trade itself sent Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th pick in the 2025 draft, and five second-rounders to Phoenix. That was a real commitment. The Rockets gave up youth, expiring contracts, and meaningful draft equity. They were buying in for a multi-year title window.
One playoff exit later, the buy-in looks expensive.
Around the league, executives are wondering how long Durant stays in Houston. He is 37. He has a year left after this one. The Rockets are not the championship team Phoenix could have been with the right pieces around Durant. Houston has good young guys, but the supporting cast around Durant did not put pressure on the Lakers in any of the six games.
Durant’s individual production was fine. He averaged his usual 27 and 6. He was efficient. He played hard. He just could not lift a team that had not figured out how to play winning playoff basketball.
The Rockets options now are limited. They cannot trade Durant for value right away because the contract works against them. They cannot tank because they gave up too many picks. They cannot tear it all down and start over because they have too much money committed to mid-career players who are not stars.
The most likely outcome is that Houston runs it back next season, adds another role player or two, and hopes Amen Thompson takes a leap. If that goes well, the Rockets get back to the second round and the Durant experiment looks reasonable. If it goes poorly, the conversations about moving Durant get real.
Phoenix is the other side of this trade nobody is talking about enough. The Suns have not exactly turned the assets they got from Houston into a clear plan. Jalen Green has been productive in stretches but inconsistent. Dillon Brooks is Dillon Brooks. The 10th pick became a player who is still developing.
The 2025 trade is going to be evaluated for years. Right now it looks like both teams are stuck.
Durant himself has been classy about the situation. He has not complained publicly. He has not asked for a trade. He has not torched the front office. That is consistent with how he has handled every team he has been on for the last decade.
But classy quotes from Durant are not the same thing as a championship. The Rockets owe him a roster that can actually win in May. So far they have not delivered.
The NBA loves talking about Kevin Durant trades. Right now the talk is what happens if Houston decides the experiment is not working. The Heat, Knicks, and Spurs would all be interested. Houston would be interested in getting back the kind of young talent they gave up to get Durant in the first place.
For now, Durant is still a Rocket. The next 12 months will decide whether he is still a Rocket in 2027.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
