Durant traded to Houston for Green, Brooks, #10 pick, and multiple 2nd rounders

Love how KD killed all these much better deals and at the same time lots of respect for the Suns for dealing him where he wanted to go.

 

Fred is that you?

 

As a franchise, you really have to thread carefully that you don't piss off agents because otherwise, that may mean you missing out on a marquee agent in the future.

 

His play is so underrated. I love how he continues to move even if he doesn’t have the ball, cutting, coming off screens. Can’t wait for the pnr with Sengun and Amen.

 

I think there is a decent chance Durant doesn't pan out for us, but considering what we gave up, I don't think it's likely to be all that regrettable. I think management understands the odds of a successful run behind Durant (and they're not terrible, but they're not great, either). It's not like we gave up Luka Doncic for him... We gave up a guy who increasingly looks like he may not ever be more than a fringe all-star, let alone a superstar; an overrated defender with an attitude problem; and some likely not-great picks (we have enough young'ns on the team as it is anyway). The trade also clears some time for guys like Cam (meh), Eason, and maybe Reed to play more.

 

We gave Jalen Green FOUR years. Not one, not two….. FOUR. And all we got was a highlight reel of inconsistency and disappointment. This dude was more focused on dating women twice his age and perfecting his black nail polish game than actually hooping like the No. 2 pick he was drafted to be. Forget “Black Mamba” mentality, he was out here with “Black Manicure” mentality. Jalen didn’t get done dirty by the Rockets… Jalen did the Rockets dirty. Glad he’s gone. We got a hell of a deal to replace him with KD!!!

 

Does it really need explaining why trading Green after four mediocre seasons (especially when you already have two young studs in Sengun and Amen) is different from trading one of those two after one season?

 

Sorry... it immediately came to mind

 

I disagree. The Kevin Durant trade for the Rockets is similar to the Justin Verlander trade for the Astros. At the time, both were up-and-coming, young teams that had shown a lot of promise but needed a boost to get them to the next level for a deep playoff run.

For the Astros, they needed an ace-level starting pitcher. For these young Rockets, they needed a number one offensive option who provides elite shooting and can get critical late-game baskets. That’s who Kevin Durant is, even at 36 years old. He’s one of the best shooters and scorers in NBA history.

Will this trade lead to a Rockets’ championship in the next few years? Maybe or maybe not. But, I do feel strongly that with Durant on this team the young Rockets should be able to make the Western Conference Finals next year and get a crack at the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even that outcome makes the Durant trade a success.

 

We had 0 percent chance of waning a title before this trade. We were just hoping for evolution and amen to make the superstar leap.

we should have a pretty damn good chance now if healthy. This is the singular player in the NBA that most fits what we are trying to do and he forced his way here. I have never liked the guy, but this is pretty much made me do a 180.

even for me it’s making me think a little bit more about trading a young player or so and future draft assets to increase the immediate likelihood of the championship in the Durant window.

 

Ultimately, that's what I mean by "pan out": a title, or at least a finals appearance, is now the bar for the Rockets. We were already the second seed and were arguably just a small bit of luck away from a WCF appearance, for whatever weaknesses we had.

And regardless of his potential to make us better, given his age and history, there is a nontrivial chance that Durant suffers a major injury or two that all but nullifies his impact for our team... You also just never know when the productivity for a player like Durant will fall off a cliff. But this may be the deepest (no, NOT best, just deepest) team he's played on since OKC, so I think/hope he'll find a second wind here.

 

Perhaps the more disturbing thing is that he thinks he is some kind of player on the level of SGA or Hali!!

Truly low BBIQ

 

.

I don’t agree with you that the Rockets were a small bit of luck away from a Western Conference Finals appearance last year nor this upcoming year if they had stood pat. They weren’t even favored against their first-round opponent, the Golden State Warriors. Some of the young guys would have needed to take a massive leap to make the Western Conference Finals this year.

As for Durant’s health, any player can get hurt. Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum are both young, elite players that just tore their achilles tendons. Tari Eason is under the age of 25 and has dealt with leg issues that cost him a season two years and flared up again this season. Jamal Murray was a young, ascending player when he tore his ACL a few years ago.

For me, if Kevin Durant helps the young Rockets win playoff series and make it to the Western Conference Finals or further, the trade was a success. Because, once he moves on, guys like Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson should be good enough to maintain that level of winning and be the Rockets’ long-term franchise pillars.

 

Your last stanza is why I wanted to acquire Jimmy Butler or KD last year at the trade deadline. I wanted the team to get at least 2nd round seasoning last year in order to make a stronger push this year.

But I totally agree.

 

Well said. Phase one was signing veterans like Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks to teach the young guys the value of playing hard within a structured system to win regular season games. Now that they have won 50 games and experienced playoff basketball, it’s time for Phase two. That is winning playoff series and going deep in the playoffs. Durant is here for that very reason.

Like you, if the price was right, I would have supported acquiring either Butler or Durant at last year’s trade deadline, simply to expedite the process.

 

We got a bona fide scorer now, open up the offensive playbook.

 

KD at the first team practice

 

The offensive playbook:
Throw the ball to KD.