I'm really not sure about giving the Suns the #10 pick in any package unless it is JUST that pick and salary matching. Give them the 2027 pick plus Jalen and Jock and Cam, sure, go for it. Anything else is an overpay for mine
One thing to think about with a Jalen for KD trade--you almost have to make a subsequent trade to move off some forward depth and reinforce the backcourt (unless Dillon is in the deal too for salary matching, but I'm not sure I'd do that deal). That could be fine--like doing the deal you mentioned above, then moving, I don't know, Tari for some equivalent talent at SG--could be a net positive for the team. Definitely reshapes the roster dramatically though.
What worries me is that absolute Championship or Bust in a matter of months....where you can call it a success when the team made 2nd Round with the young crew to Winning it All.....or else it was not successful. Due to catering to Durant's need to leaving his legacy on a high note. With Giannis, you can always trade him and set him free to chase after his last ring.
If I am the Rockets, I would only trade KD for Brooks, Cam, the10th pick if not, maybe I would add Tari. That's about it. Durant will turn 37, no need to overpay for a 3 year rental.
You have no idea what you are talking about sadly below is 2024-2025, tho not adjusted per 36, but still, unreal how the impact of Tari is brushed off so casually by people like you. Your rigid mind cannot comprehend how ridiculous some of your takes are. The craziest thing is that it’s not even your worst take. The worst is that you want to add a PHX future first, ON TOP OF so much you have already given up lmao. Unreal.
Yesterday, the Phoenix front office released its statement indicating that they are willing to trade Durant to any team beyond his preferred destinations. So they are forcing Kevin's hand. We've seen these negotiation strategies before. Trying to strong-arm a semi-disgruntled superstar doesn't work. Today, his agent needs to say, "My client is not playing for Phoenix ever again, and I'm only showing up at a preferred destination." This will crush any leverage that Phoenix has to try to run up the price. Let's go ahead and finalize this deal today while the basketball world waits for Game 5.
It's hilarious to hear that people are being precious about a #10 pick in a weak draft. If someone offered you 2 years of a player in his prime averaging Durant's current declining numbers plus Durant's declining defense and you were nitpicking about a #10 pick because you are likely to lose the player in 2 years - the other GM would laugh in your face. Picks are extremely valuable but it's absolute insanity to bicker over a #10 pick so you can draft a role player who will at best give you 10-15 mistake-ridden minutes next season during a bid to go far in the playoffs. The team offering the #17 pick just got kicked out of the sweepstakes. This was a rational argument when y'all were claiming it would require multiple picks. Now we're down to a #10 pick who would no way make our playoff rotation and possibly Cam Whitmore who can't win 1 minute off the bench and you feel like it's too much? Get real. 2 years of a declining Kevin Durant gives us the chance at a deep playoff run with assets remaining in the treasure chest to acquire a big time player the very next summer. We are one of the worst teams in the NBA at making jumpers and Kevin Durant is #1 in the NBA in FG% for making pull up (i.e. non-static) jumpers from everywhere on the court. That's what a declining KD does. We're not in a standard situation. Our offense is quite literally ret@rded. It's morphing the performance of the young players we invested in. We're in a situation where you will only score well if you grab offensive rebounds. The wings are not getting a steady diet of drives, and those drives are the backbone of an offense. Post play can't be the backbone of an offense. Midrange jumpers can't be. Even 3PT shooting can't be because the results swing too wildly. The first thing you have to solve in ANY offense is how do we make it as easy as possible for people to get to the rim from the perimeter. Then whatever problems ensue from that, you start solving and building. Bring on one of the best shooters and floor spacers in NBA history for 2 years. Then we won't have pissed away 2 more years waiting for a jumper to develop at a snail's pace - and you're not sure if it will and you're not sure it will be enough. Once you're the 2nd seed in your conference and you're young, it's time to take big calculated swings at climbing.
My guess is the Rockets really are in this because they know they have what the Suns covet the most, and it’s probably a good thing to ensure a competing team does not just get KD for nothing. If someone is going to steal him, they want to ensure it’ll be them since they are who the Suns want to deal with. Let’s just see what the final asking price is. I have no problem with Stone taking this thing to the end. I do not want another Jimmy Butler type situation where a rival gets him for next to nothing and ends up beating us in the playoffs because of it. And yes we do need a veteran scorer anyways. It wouldnt make sense to NOT be engaged in this deal if you were Stone. Just depends on final price.
Especially with our track record of actually playing our prospects. The prospect we pick this year regardless of position is most likely going to be a red shirt. Now if I was running the team I don’t think I’d give up that quality of talent for a 37 year old KD but knowing Ime and our depth and our history, Im not going to freak out about it as a fan.
I just can’t see Stone trading the #2 pick and the #3 pick that he picked for a 37 year old injury prone star. That goes against everything he’s ever spoke on. So, he’s gonna trade a 23 and 22 year old plus untapped potential 20 year old for KD?!? Nah man I’m not buying it. It has to be FVV, Brooks, Jock, Tari, #10 (any combination of those assets)
Since some John Doe here likes to toss our young players like freebies in trade packages, here is another unsolicited data driven proof that that idea is beyond stupid: Comparing Tari Eason to a five-first round pick Mikal Bridges
Yup it's a waste of a pick, even if there was no trade on the table we should be trading #10 for future assets because future assets are more valuable in a trade for a star. When someone trades you a star, they want to rebuild. When they want to rebuild, they don't want your #10 pick who's struggling to get off the bench. They fancy their own chances with your future pick. There are no minutes. Reed Sheppard and Cam Whitmore couldn't get off the bench and they are as good as any prospect we'll get at #10. We already have to find minutes for those two next season. We were struggling to get minutes for Jabari. The last 6 #10 picks are: Cam Reddish Jalen Smith Zaire Williams Johnny Davis Cason Wallace Cody Williams The people who are clamoring to keep the pick are the guys who think they're guaranteed a home run. They think we are going to get the best case scenario. But we're not trading the best player in that list. We're trading the average player in that list because it's a coin flip what you're going to get. We're trading Cody Williams or Johnny Davis or whatever. The next 2 years of Durant will probably be better than any 2 seasons any player on that list will ever have. Also an important point is our coach is not a good offensive coach. If he wants to play this "sit back and accept whatever the defense gives you" style, we have to make this thing fool proof. The first option on offense has to be someone who will immediately draw the double team without any effort. That feature alone is worth so much. It means that in the series against the Warriors, Sengun would have been guarded by Looney or Post. It means Jalen Green is guarded the way he was in Game 2 rather than in the rest of the series. It means when they pack the paint, Durant can generate jumpers out of thin air and give our defense a chance of carrying us to the win. Even if Phoenix gets a great role player with the #10 and Durant misses 25-30 games a season, this is the right calculated risk which still leaves us with tons of assets for a big future trade. In fact, our existing assets (all 6 core players) will look a lot more valuable after playing next to Durant. It's a no-brainer.
The last decade of 10th picks have been: Cody Williams Cason Wallace Johnny Davis Ziaire Williams Jalen Smith Cam Johnson Mikal Bridges Thon Maker Justise Winslow Elfrid Payton It's possible to find decent players at 10 or lower but - the odds are not in your favor. If someone is gonna give you real stuff for it, I'd get rid of it.
the Athletic's analysis: "Iko: From Houston’s vantage point, the Durant saga is fascinating. On the one hand, you have a Rockets braintrust that has been quite vocal about the confidence in the roster decisions made over the last two seasons, which has resulted in winning 93 games in that span. A Durant acquisition, at least on paper, would solve myriad offensive issues that were further exposed in their first-round playoff loss to the Warriors — half-court efficiency, spacing concerns and a bona fide go-to scorer. You could make the argument that Durant’s presence, combined with Ime Udoka’s defense, is a recipe for a Western Conference finals run — if not more. On the other hand, a reshaping within the Suns’ front office factors into negotiations. Houston and Phoenix have been in contact for more than a year concerning Durant, with the Suns’ aggression a byproduct of a lack of leverage and flexibility. At one point, team sources say, Phoenix was determined to regain control of its draft capital (first-round picks in 2025, 2027 and swap rights in 2029) and at another, was seeking multiple young talents like Alperen Şengün and Jalen Green. Recently, forward Jabari Smith Jr.’s name has come up pertaining to the Suns’ interest, team and league sources say. Green, whose name has been connected to Durant and other stars in trade rumors, is determined to improve upon his playoff struggles and wants to stay in Houston, league sources say. But the Rockets have largely been uninterested in breaking up their depth, even for a future Hall of Famer. There’s also the question of his age and injury history — juxtaposed with the timeline of Houston’s young core — and the tradeoff that comes with championship-chasing and development. As has been the case with teams that have attempted to detach the Rockets from their assets over the last few years, there is always a price point where Houston will be intrigued enough to do business. Durant has a good relationship with multiple players on the roster and members of the coaching staff, and his cache alone would raise the Rockets’ ceiling. But unless Houston’s brass is suddenly enamored with the idea of parting ways with key core talents, it looks like they’re fine with keeping the band together. Their most pressing need internally was re-signing veteran center Steven Adams to an extension (which was agreed upon over the weekend), followed by hammering out Fred VanVleet’s future, which is a mere formality at this point. Amick: I couldn’t agree with you more about the Rockets’ priorities here, Kelly. Unless they’ve been bluffing for this past year or so, it has been made abundantly clear that they only want Durant if it doesn’t cost them pivotal parts of their young core. I’d be pretty surprised if that’s where he winds up (disclaimer: I have been surprised many times before)."
nah, it wasn’t real this year either like sure, Rockets finished 2nd in the West, but they definitely weren’t actually the 2nd best team in the West
