26 mill for the ball to go in the hoop? Yes sir. Although in fairness, we will probably all hate the 39 year old version of KD. Worth it for a 2 year genuine contention window
Yes. If Green's ceiling is a Lavine/Booker/Beal-type then good because those players don't play winning ball or elevate teams. Durant fixes one of the biggest glaring weaknesses and didn't cripple the franchise like a potential Morant/Giannis trade would. In a way it's similar to the CP3 trade from 2017. That being said, it's still dependent on the rest of young players making that leap.
I’m not so sure. KD lives b-ball. I could see him wanting to play like LBJ until he is 42 being a skilled jumpshooter and being close to what he is now on very team friendly deals. I think he is looking for a home. It can all go wrong but I think we get what we want out of it. He wants a legacy and has a chance for that here. Nets were bad luck and PHX was bad organization. Both squandered any future to get him, we are stacked for the future and instead of duplicating him compliment him.
This was a pretty modest return for KD. Honestly if the choices were mega trade package for Giannis, this package for KD, or no trade and run it back, I'd definitely choose this KD trade. It leaves us with so many more pieces to fill any remaining gaps in the team while still giving us a significant upgrade. Only thing I'd change is I'd rather give up Cam than the #10 but maybe Ime can slowly rebuild that relationship.
Overall the trade seems fair, to Suns fans it probably does not, but they over paid for KD to begin with so their return being true market value hurts. Dillon was a glue guy and crucial to this team putting together a competitive first round against a good Warriors team. Hopefully Jabari and Tari take another step and gain some confidence to make up for losing him as a starter. You look at this trade and think it is overall good value, but that also means that Jalen did not work out and we just missed on that draft pick, and we are all forced to kind of admit it at this point. An ideal situation would have been that Jalen worked out, and we had a face of the franchise for 15 years. This trade kind of puts that final nail in the coffin, there was just a lot of hope going into each season w JG. Now there is a lot of expectation, the Rockets are now #2 in odds for a Championship next season.
Giving up only one first round pick and a buttload of second rounders was a great move. I did not see that coming. I'm not happy with losing two starters in both Green and Brooks, but I'm assuming there was probably no other way. Overall, it's an intersting calculated move that could put the Rockets in a better position to succeed for the next few seasons. But it depends on how Stone shores up the rest of the roster, because he's definitly not done.
It all depends on injuries, now you have a 37 year old and granted FVV extends, he is 32 by next trade deadline. Then you have a tad of a dross that you probably did not notice when your team is a young team but guys like Holiday, Uncle now and not young Green, Landale are not WCF material ..... I really loved their contribution the rare times they played......come on. Tate can stay now to fill the void. Reed and Cam have to grow up immediately and immensely in the next 2 years, tall order when you consider Jalen Green hasn't grown a lot in 3 years just became more versatile.
Why? The off-season hasn't even begun yet, we have no idea what the final version of the roster is. As it stands, we replaced Greens inefficient 20ppg with KDs ultra smooth 25ppg (on less shots). More shots for Amen/ Jabari/ Tari. Cam and Reed can produce just what they did this season (but on higher usage), and we'll be in great shape. Of course, there is also the chance we bring in more wing depth...
Can't coast like Cam has this year (or sulked)..... There is no why, if they want to win in the Playoffs, there are still teams that are way ahead of them....and now gained superior experience. Durant hasn't won in the Playoffs for 1-2 years......first round exit last year and no Play In.
I voted no because Im unsure. I just dont like trading young assets for old. I know it wasnt a lot just two people but I would have rather gotten a person who was a reliable scorer and younger
Durant was never a driver like Harden or Westbrook, he obviously could pump fake and dunk but his game is mostly predicated on jump shooting. Versatile ways of making shots.
Fans are usually overvaluing their own young players - that being said, I am still not ecstatic about the trade. Our biggest strength so far is our youth - our window is basically the next 10-12 years. KD is gonna be 37 years old when the season starts. With him our window is probably the next 2 years. The good news is, that we didnt have to give up too much... I dont care at all about the 5 second rounders. I am totally fine with giving up the #10 pick (we have enough young players already and drafting at 10 is always a gamble). I really like Dillon, but he was kinda expendable with Tari and Amen on the team. Losing Jalen Green hurts. I know he was inconsistent, I know his playoffs sucked and I know he didnt really improve much on offense since entering the league. But I still like his game. He is quick, he can shoot, he can get by his man. He feels like the kinda player that just needs to turn a switch and he can be special. I could very well see him turning into an all-star... but I could also see him just as he is right now, inconsistent and ineffecient. So overall, winning a championship is really rare. Getting KD gives us a better shot. I believe the OKC championship was one of the easiest ones in a long time. I know people are talking about how stacked the league is or how stacked the west is, but I am not really scared of any team right now. So going for a title right now without really hurting our future too much (since we keep most of our young talent and our future draft assets) is fine with me. So overall I am fine with the trade, but would also have been fine if we just did nothing with KD and waited for an up and coming player to be available and then pull the trigger on them.
We could still offer one of the best packages for Giannis if he becomes available. Sengun + Jabari +the two Suns picks + an extra pick is probably one of the best offers that the Bucks would receive, and basically Giannis salary is the same as Sengun+Jabari post extension. Then you can get another center (Brook Lopez?) and fill a great rotation: VanVleet-Amen-Giannis-Durant-Lopez, and a bech with Sheppard-Whitmore-Eason-Adams
I didn't want to trade for Durant, no matter the price, before. He's too old, I don't trust that he will be able to stay healthy, I don't want any part of his contract extension, it's concerning he hasn't won anything on Brooklyn or Phoenix, teams that completely sold their future to try to win now. So, mostly no. But also- we needed some kind of half court, create offense, in the worst way. And if that's what we had to give up, I feel like it was worth giving it a go. I remember when we traded for Westbrook, I hated it, but tried really hard to see some kind of possibility of positive from it. I don't love thos Durant trade in 2025, but it's easier for me to imagine the possibility of positive outcome from it.
I kinda wish the Rockets bet on themselves and just picked at 10. But it's hard to be upset about getting off those two contracts and picking up a prolific scorer. I'm praying for his health.
