https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...ing-all-timer-a-title-shot-and-suns-a-reboot/ •When Durant has moved in the past, it has always been as almost indisputably a top-five player in the NBA (when healthy). That isn't the case anymore. The metrics are mostly unkind to him: 29th in BPM, 32nd in EPM, 48th in estimated RAPTOR and 84th in Win Shares per 48 Minutes, just to name a few. Where exactly he still falls in the league hierarchy is subjective, but for the first time, it's plausible to believe that his all-time ranking (somewhere in the 15-20 range, most believe) is higher than his ranking among the best players for the 2025-26 season. •The Suns bear some responsibility for those to disappointing metrics, but most of it is just because of age. Durant will be 37-years-old on opening night, and there are things he just doesn't do as well anymore. He doesn't really get to the basket anymore, taking just two shots per game in the restricted area. His free-throw rate has been down in Phoenix, though not nearly to the extent his rim numbers are. As he's never been an especially potent playmaker, you're mostly just getting a jump-shooter on offense. Now, he's a Kevin Durant-level jump-shooter, but you typically want more creation out of a player making the money Durant is making. He's mostly going to be a shot-maker at this stage of his career. •Speaking of money, he is currently slated to be the fourth-highest-paid player in what will likely be the most financially perilous season in recent, non-COVID-affected NBA history. The luxury tax formula gets harsher this year. The full impact of the aprons is starting to set in. Teams are cautious with their spending nowadays. They have to be. And Durant, given his age and injury history, comes with a significant amount of risk. •Durant is expensive, but he's also on an expiring contract. That gives him meaningful leverage in directing the proceedings to a preferred destination. This doesn't look to be an open bidding war. At the very least, Durant will be involved. At most, he could stick his thumb on the scale for a certain destination. •Suns get: Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Jock Landale, No. 10 overall pick •Rockets get: Kevin Durant •Nets get: Aaron Holiday, 2026 second-round pick (via Thunder, Mavericks or 76ers) •Suns get: Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Harrison Barnes, No. 14 pick •Spurs get: Kevin Durant •Suns get: Julius Randle, Mike Conley, Goga Bitadze, Terrence Shannon Jr., No. 25 pick •Magic get: Donte DiVincenzo •Timberwolves get: Kevin Durant •Nets get: Gary Harris, No. 46 pick •Suns get: Andrew Wiggins, Robert Williams III, Nikola Jović, 2030 first-round pick, 2032 first-round pick •Heat get: Kevin Durant •Trail Blazers get: Duncan Robinson •Suns get: Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart, Jaden Ivey, No. 37 pick, 2026 first-round pick •Pistons get: Kevin Durant
This trade is an absolute overpay for Durant. I know Jalen didn't show up in the playoffs, but man, giving him away for a player that could potentially fall off a cliff seems pretty stupid to me. Then you also add in Jabari?? I was onboard during the trading deadline to trade for Durant, but the advance metrics don't lie, and although he is still an effective player, his body does have limitations at this age. We really really have to be careful about selling our future for a player that doesn't make us instant title contenders. You want to trade the world for Giannis, fine do it, I'm not convinced, but do it, I can buy in, but for Durant, this package would be stupid.
yep. Big time overpay for Durant. I don’t think the Rockets want to trade Jalen or FVV. They are convinced Jalen’s work ethic is going to pay off and that he is only 23 years old. The fan who did this trade undervalues Jalen and Jabari. It’s not something the Rockets do.
I'm not sure Suns wants Jalen. Not that Jalen is bad, but that he overlaps positionally with Booker. Unless Suns is clever enough to flip Jalen to another team (which is more work for their GM). Even politically, to hire a young 30 mil SG behind Booker, might make Devin feel a type of way. I don't think Suns org would risk it if their goal is to keep Booker. I'm not against unloading Jalen, but the reason why proposals not work is more on the Sun's side. On the Rockets side, the overpay is not Jalen, but Bari is added in the deal.
Yes for several reasons. Phoenix needs to get out from under salary over the next several years. Jock can be released immediately, FVV would be an expiring contract (which is the way to most of Durant’s money in a year.) and Cam still has a ton of potential. SA can trump us with the #8 pick and Vassle and filler, but Vassel is signed for 4 years so doesn’t help their salary situation as much. FVV also fits better with Booker than Jalen does if they really are serious about trying to compete for a playoff spot.
It would need to be done after the draft because we can't trade away the pick without receiving one back.
Yes. Any trade we make with the #10 pick has to be after the draft unless we get a 25 or 26 pick during the draft or before the draft. We would just make the pick for Phoenix and then execute after the draft.
It has to be something like this, we can't give them the actual future for a short-term KD. I'll be really upset if we lose any of Reed, Tari or Bari to get KD when his value really doesn't seem that high right now.
The only reason we'll trade Jabari is we don't want to pay him the rookie max extension. I would prefer to trade Tari over Bari, but financially the rookie extension pay scale it would be cheaper to keep Tari over Jabari.
Bari is not a rookie scale max candidate. He and his agent have to know that. If he wants north of low $20s bye bye.
Allow me to challenge that. The advanced metrics lie constantly. Booker dropped significantly in all those metrics too. Booker dropped in all those metrics too. Show me any player who didn't take a dip in their advanced metrics upon going from a winning team to a losing team. Choose a player in the middle of their prime if you like. The most exponential component is always the defense because even if you're a great defender, when the team defense is not a solid network, an individual can put all the effort in the world and the opponent will just pass it till they find the weak links and they will abuse those links. There's no doubt a 37 year old is not as good as he was at 32, but this massive drop is mostly to do with the team. He didn't drop that much in one season. This was a team that should have had a safe 2-way PG, an excellent 3&D player at SF and an average rim protector at C. That's the normal state of a contender, it's not even the ideal set up. Sometimes you can bandaid one of those things. These guys were missing almost all of that. Michael Jordan mid-prime would see his impact metrics decline if he were surrounded by Nurkic/Richards, Dunn and Tyus Jones. It's a team sport, it doesn't even make mathematical sense that the team wouldn't have a major impact.
This is the only one of those proposed trades that makes any sense. Blazers dump an injured player for a not-quite-as-good healthy one, Suns get something of value for KD, Heat give up some actual assets for KD but they're desperate at this point.
I get your point about the team affecting his personal stats, but beware: Guys at this stage of their career OFTEN drop that much in one season.
Yes but let's add one more wrinkle: 99% of the time massive drops are from guys who rely significantly on athleticism and don't have excellent skills/jumpers. The other big factor in drop offs is size - short or tall bulky guys don't last as long. At the end of the day he's 37, I get it. We will have to load manage and make his life as easy as possible defensively in the regular season. However a guy who's 7 feet tall with a 7'4 wingspan who happens to be a top 3 pull up shooter of all time (triple emphasis on pull up) is exactly who you'd bet on to beat the odds. He will still be shooting over PF's and many C's at 39 years old. I would not give him a guaranteed 2 year extension though. I think he will settle for 1 guaranteed year and 1 team option (or partially guaranteed) year. That gives us adequate safety imo. We will have retained a lot of young assets despite this trade, and his final guaranteed year becomes a vehicle for acquiring a star if we need one. I think that's very important - when Durant is ready to retire is precisely when our core will be around 25 years old and entering their prime. At that point we'll have a $50m contract, future picks and some leftover young player who don't fit. The timeline works nicely.
Since the Suns are calling the Rockets and the Nets are calling the Rockets, I'm sure Stone has had this idea: FVV + #10 + #29 to Nets Landale + Whitmore + #19 + 2nd rounders to Phoenix Durant to Rockets - Nets absorb FVV's expiring and trade their #19. In exchange got #10 and #29. They now have picks #10, #26, #27 and #29. - Phoenix gets $100m+ in penalty savings plus a good draft pick plus some cheap/young rotation players (can waive Landale also) - Rockets trade FVV + #10 + Whitmore + 2nd rounder for Durant Sengun/Jabari/Adams Durant/Jabari Brooks/Tari Green/Brooks Amen/Sheppard/Holiday
I can not believe a ROCKET'S FAN would present such an obvious OVERPAY of a trade for a 37yr old player......must not be a Rocket's fan
