SI’s Chris Mannix thinks Kevin Durant will want a trade to Houston this offseason
It isn't yet clear if the Rockets will have trade interest during the upcoming offseason in a 36-year-old Kevin Durant. But it does seem the 15-time NBA All-Star, former Most Valuable Player (MVP), and future Hall of Famer could have interest in Houston.
With a split between Durant and the middling Phoenix Suns (34-37) appearing increasingly likely, longtime league insider Chris Mannix says he believes Houston will be the most appealing trade destination to Durant himself.
Via Mannix' latest mailbag in Sports Illustrated:
I think—and this is just my opinion—that Durant wants to wind up in Houston. I think if the Rockets wanted Durant before the trade deadline, it would have happened. Durant has a lot of respect for (head coach) Ime Udoka, and in Houston, he could be a missing piece to a title contender. I’d keep an eye on that after this season.
At the start of this decade, Udoka spent a season as a lead assistant with the Brooklyn Nets when Durant was a star player there (2020-21). Durant also has ties to the state, having played in college at the University of Texas (where he remains actively involved).
.@SIChrisMannix thinks Kevin Durant wants to wind up in Houston this offseason 👀
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 21, 2025
More in the latest NBA mailbag: https://t.co/quEn7wIWvbpic.twitter.com/XRUNSRzqXp
With Durant likely holding at least some level of interest in Houston, the bigger question is whether the Rockets are willing to cash in some or all of their future draft assets from Phoenix (particularly considering how uncertain the Suns' outlook is) for a player who turns 37 in September.
In the past, it's been reported that Houston isn't interested in trading for a superstar within that older age bracket, particularly when considering the ages of the team's current "young core" of Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Tari Eason. All are 23 or younger. As Mannix alluded to, it doesn't seem that the Rockets aggressively pursued Durant prior to the recent in-season trade deadline in February.
But if the Rockets (currently 46-25 and No. 2 in the Western Conference standings) make a run in the 2025 playoffs, perhaps that might prompt general manager Rafael Stone to consider a more aggressive "win now" trade for a veteran star that could lift them to legitimate title contention in 2025-26.
This spring and summer, we could find out in the weeks after the Rockets and Suns conclude their 2024-25 campaigns. Durant's contract expires after 2025-26, so Phoenix would either need to trade or extend him before next season ends to avoid the risk of losing Durant for no compensation in free agency. And given the Suns' current struggles, a contract extension for a 37-year-old probably doesn't make sense for either side. Thus, barring a dramatic turnaround, a trade appears likely.
Whether Houston is in the line of suitors remains to be seen.
Durant is owed $54.7 million next season, so the Rockets would need to send out something in that ballpark from their current payroll to make a deal work under the NBA's salary matching rules for trades. Both Phoenix and Houston are likely to operate above the league's salary cap this offseason, so the matching rules should be in play.
This season, Durant is averaging an extremely efficient 26.6 points (52.8% FG, 41.7% on 3-pointers), 6.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. At 6-foot-11, he remains one of the best-shooting forwards in NBA history and one of the league's all-time best scorers.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Chris Mannix thinks Kevin Durant will want a trade to Houston in 2025
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