I like mustard on my hamburgers. Maybe some mayonnaise, hmmm. Mostly, I'm not a fan of ketchup. Not on my dogs either, need that tho mustard amirite.
I love the trade. The Rockets primary weaknesses last year were shooting (perimeter and free throw) and they lacked a true number one scorer and late-game closer. Durant is a great fit in those areas. The Rockets also can surround him with strong defenders and have a good defensive-minded head coach. Even better, they only gave up one piece from the young core (Jalen Green) to get him.
Pretty happy with the trade overall. Definitely not as down on Jalen as most posters here but you gotta trade something to get something. He'll probably put up great numbers next season playing faster and with less pressure. His playoff production and overall impact on winning was not in line with the contract he just signed. I respect the team deciding to go for more of a sure thing. Dillon was great for us. He exceeded every expectation, shot it well, and helped instill a culture of fearlessness and toughness. I wish him the best. THAT SAID - KD even at his advanced age is an offensive force. The upside of this deal is obvious, but I'm pretty impressed that we did not mortgage our future in any way: from a salary perspective KD slots right into what Dillon and Jalen make combined, from an asset perspective we still have all of the future first rounders, from a roster perspective there is still a lot of roster continuity and I think we actually open up valuable playing time for Cam (who I think will be a revelation this year with consistent time). The big questions are KD's extension and his post-season availability, I would say given the cost, it's worth the gamble.
I keep getting scared that they'll realise how cheap we got him and rescind the trade. I'm still stunned tbh, I'm not sure it's fully set in that we managed to actually pull it off without sacrificing all of the fruits of our tanking. I guess we can now give Stone the credit because he's now hit on drafts, trades and contracts. Not the best, but we got a good GM and I'd say a top 5 coach easy. We're contenders. Like for real though.
I feel like there needs to be a third option, wait and see. This is a huge gamble. I hold no ill will towards Jalen and wanted to see him develop here. I feel like he took big steps last year. Tough to throw the keys away on a 22yo kid and his first play off experience. The risk reward on this deal is the same. It only makes sense if you are going to spend the money on retaining the rest of your young core.
I can tell you right now. 2 years/ 122 million Brooks and Green were gonna combine for basically the same salary as Durant the next 2 seasons, year 3 is the actual extra salary we're taking on. Green would have made 36 million, Durant will make roughly 62 million.
Underrated part of this trade is that we still own Phoenix first round picks...if Jalen sucks as much as we think he does that should ensure those are great picks. We may have sent them a tank commander.
Ecstatic. As of today anyway. We get off Green who was fool's gold. Brooks was the one in a crowded 3/4 rotation that made the most sense to trade. It would be great to have the #10, but oh well. Slim Reaper fits really well theoretically. Just need to baby him until the second round. (Also, I don't fear OKC like so many on here. Yes, they are good. They are not a juggernaut and we've matched up well with them. We'll match up better this year.)
I’m not happy or unhappy. But, it will be interesting to see what happens. I expect KD to play well, but for the Rockets to really improve this next season it may hinge on the improvement coming from Sheppard and Whitmore. We know what KD can do, Sheppard and Whitmore are unknowns.
No. Although I think it is a decent short term move, I am pretty confident it will be considered a mistake in the long run. I'm not a fan of bringing in broken down old players, and Durant is very close to becoming one of those.
Very happy. Durant is obviously at the tail end of his career, but probably has a few all-star level seasons left in him. Jalen Green was too inconsistent and I didn’t see dramatic improvement from him. Dillon Brooks — better than advertised scorer, overrated defender. I’m fine getting off his contract. A 10th pick and a bunch of future 2nd rounders? Big deal. It’s hard for me to see much wrong with this trade. Assuming no major injury setbacks, I think we should be contenders next year.
It was a buyers market and if we get 2-3 years out of Durant without injuries, it was a steal. Phoenix screwed themselves with their desperation to recapture their draft pick. Green needs to mature. This might be the kick in the ass that he needed. His skillset is undeniable but he lacks a killer instinct. Brooks was a tough one to give up but I never saw him lasting beyond his contract anyway.
