I am not all about overpaying for KD - I am not supporting gutting the Rockets assets for him. However - the deal that was being mentioned for Brooks and Green and the #10, I would do that deal in a heartbeat. Jabari and Tari can take Brooks' minutes and I am not a big fan of this draft outside of the top 2 players.
I have a hard time believing the Rudy/Divencenzo offer is real. They recently paid A LOT to get both of those guys.
FWIW I pulled whatever happened to be like the fifth post talking about Durant making us better only in short term. Yours was more reasonable (by a lot) than the other four, which tend to focus on the idea that Jabari brings some magical, irreplaceable long term value.
I think this is the fundamental disconnect here. There's a group of people who think that it's clearly worth it to send a #10 in a draft that's weak in our range plus two replaceable rotation pieces (not Amen or Alpy). The FO seems caught up with whether to include Jabari, which I find a little strange b/c we don't really get small ball center value out of Jabari in the playoffs anymore. But then there's a group of people who are melting down over trading long-term replaceable assets for Durant. And a 37 year old Durant is still the best shooter the rockets will get a look at for 5 years, and his length plays in the defensive scheme.
I don't know what KD will do next year - he could easily average 26-28 points a game for 60 games in the regular season and then be a top 3 player in the world in the playoffs --- or he could play 10 minutes, rupture a tendon and never play again. I am also not going to argue about whether he was the 8th best player in the world or 15th best - because in his case, it is all about what he does in playoffs and the end of games. He is 37 years old, and he still took over games at times last year on a team that really wasn't very good. What I do know is that he scored 27 points a game last season on 18 shots and had a efg% of 60% with a 53/43 split....... he still rebounded and passed well. The Rockets needed shooting, efficiency and someone that could take huge shots under stress -- and Durant at 37 years old is still amazing at those things. If he plays, he will likely really open up the game for players like Jabari and Reed and Thompson. Now - he is a short term fix, and he will likely want an extension... concerns over that are valid, but it is likely a 1-2 year extension. So the risk is less than on a longer deal --- and he also doesn't address the Rockets long term needs for a franchise player, but he can be a bridge if the price isn't crazy.... the Rockets DON'T want to do what the Sixers did with Harris and Butler. However if the Rockets can jettison guys like Brooks/Green and #10 for KD, I think that is worth it. Green isn't a good basketball player, Brooks isn't the long term answer and this draft from my perspective is mediocre outside of the top 2.
Would you rather pay Durant 50m for the next 3 years? or... Would you rather pay Jabari and Tari 25m each, for a combined 50m, for the next 3 years? The salary implications bear just as much pain as the players being traded away.
Having Amen and FVV is better than just Amen. it is highly unlikely that re-signing FVV costs the Rockets a rotation player. It is likely that at some point his contract is traded for a rotational player. Considering there are 2 years of data that shows young players have been developing incredibly faster with FVV than any other teams young players have been developing, FVV's presence on a team is not poisonous to developing young talent.
People overrate KD. Yes at his age and at the asking price he is overrated. He gets paid too much and would ruin our depth and we'd have him for maybe a year before things implode like they have everywhere else he's gone. Its easy to fall in love with the numbers. thats part of the KD trap. He has never won anything without steph. I just dont see the point. If Im the Rockets I hold tight for Giannis to break loose.
Are you guys prepared for Durant to miss 20-30 games of the season? Are you prepared for him to miss playoff games? Is he really going to last 2 or 3 seasons? You also gotta pay him for those seasons at the max(Durant is looking for that last pay day) Are you sure the Rockets can't get something better with a combination of Green and Brooks and some picks in a trade? Lamelo? Jamal Murray? Jaylen Brown? Darius Garland? I know these guys aren't necessarily better or maybe necessarily obtainable than Durant but could fit the time line better.
I am but it is not my team ownership wise.......I don't lose championship windows. There is some snake in Durant, I never liked about him. The guy has no loyalty and no honor, everyone is selfish, he takes it to another extreme.
It's likely he's going to miss somewhere around 1/4 of the season. I'm not okay with that, especially if it's towards the end of the season or the playoffs. Availability is the best ability. KD is a huge gamble because of that. I wouldn't touch him.
Shams on McAfee: •Longer this drags out, more we’ll be talking about it. •The Suns know if they’re gonna trade Durant, there’s a price threshold they want met. Game of chicken at this point. •From Rockets, Heat, Wolves, it’s 1-2 pieces away that can get a deal done. One of these teams have to meet that. •Draft is a week away. Could this go into the draft? For sure but don’t think the Suns or other teams wanted to. •In active conversations with those 3 teams specifically. I would not be surprised if this has 3-4 teams deals.
The short answer is I don't know how much he moves the needle - but if he is healthy, the Rockets get past the first round. Do they get past the second round? Maybe, but I agree they are not likely winning a title with KD and the existing core. Where does he add value? I think that he can have a big impact in the games of guys like Sheppard and Jabari and Sengun because he can open up the court for them and get them shots and hit shots. That to me, from an objective standpoint is where he would make the most short and long term impact. It is also possible that he does that beyond next season, it is just hard to tell in 2025 with how players age. As for the Rockets window - it is getting narrower because guys like Jabari and Eason and soon, Amen are going to be in positions where they are going to want to be paid. Even someone like Jabari is likely going to get 25 million a year from someone if he waits until free agency. To be clear - I would not touch the Suns picks, not would I dump multiple picks for KD. I would be comfortable moving #10 and Brooks/Green or some version of that for KD. I would rather not move Jabari and would only consider it if the Rockets really don't think he will ever be more than an average starter. If KD is too expensive, and there is nothing out there - I would support trading #10 for future picks or a pick with the right team so the asset is pushed forward. As for the Rockets -- Rockets fans don't want to hear it, but right now from a future perspective, the Thunder and Spurs are well ahead of them. Things can change - but it may take the Rockets being aggressive and lucky to pass those two teams.
26/6/4…. 43% from 3… and 60% EFG last season. There’s no universe where he just completely falls off and is washed this year, and frankly the next 2-3 years. Injuries can happen to anyone at any time. If you don’t want KD, I get it. But don’t deny the fact that he’s still all world.
