The Houston Rockets have become one of the most surprising teams in all of the NBA this season, as the unassuming group of athletic young studs mixed with several key veteran mentors has broken out to become the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference with a 37-23 record.
Houston’s stars like Alperen Şengün, Jalen Green and the rising Amen Thompson have propelled the squad to a likely guaranteed playoff berth this season, but their lack of experience and a true go-to scorer could lead to their ultimate demise come postseason.
In order to correct these potential issues for next season, recent reports have indicated that the franchise’s general manager Rafael Stone may look to acquire one of the game’s greatest players this summer in the form of the Phoenix Suns’ two-time NBA Finals MVP, Kevin Durant.
“The one thing Houston is missing is a go-to guy late in games, and that makes Durant a great fit even at his age,” SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell wrote Monday afternoon.
In order to correct these potential issues for next season, recent reports have indicated that the franchise’s general manager Rafael Stone may look to acquire one of the game’s greatest players this summer in the form of the Phoenix Suns’ two-time NBA Finals MVP, Kevin Durant.
“The one thing Houston is missing is a go-to guy late in games, and that makes Durant a great fit even at his age,” SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell wrote Monday afternoon.
“Durant still has takeover offensive ability, and even if he might not be able to do it every night as he ages, he would still be an expert floor spacer for Amen Thompson’s turbo-charged drives to the rim.”
“The arms race in the West never stops, and Houston needs a bold move for a star if it wants to keep pace.”
As a 36-year-old forward coming down the stretch of what should be the tail-end of his career, Durant still looks to be in his absolute prime as a member of the Suns this season, posting averages of 26.7 points and 6.0 rebounds on a remarkable 63.5% true shooting percentage in 48 contests.
In a potential transaction, Houston could provide Phoenix with all of the right tools to begin a rebuild, especially in the form of draft capital, since Houston owns several of the Suns’ draft choices.
Along with first-round draft compensation, Houston would also be able to offer their No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr., Cam Whitmore and even Fred VanVleet if he is a desired target.
As a prospective member of the Rockets, Durant could prove to be exactly what the group needs as a supremely efficient superstar scorer. He could be of even greater service to Houston if he can somehow take a sip from the fountain of youth and buy in on the defensive side of the ball as he’d enter his 18th season at age 37.
With the thought of Durant’s scoring ability combining with Thompson’s blinding speed and uber-athleticism, Şengün’s passing skills and even Green’s supplementary offensive contributions, Houston could quickly become the outright title favorite for the 2025-26 season if a deal were to be agreed upon this summer.
