The Houston Rockets pulled off a huge offseason blockbuster trade to acquire longtime superstar forward Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns.
In order to acquire Durant, the Rockets had to give up quite a bit of value. They traded away young rising star guard Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and five second-round picks.
Durant is a piece that Houston feels strongly could take them over the top and into championship contention.
Last season, the Rockets were the second-best team in the Western Conference. They finished the season with a 52-30 record, but were quickly eliminated in round one of the playoffs by the Golden State Warriors.
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Now that the move has been made for Durant, Houston could double down and make another massive decision regarding the 36-year-old superstar.
As noted by Kurt Helin of NBC Sports, the Rockets could offer Durant a two-year, $122 million contract extension. That move would not be surprising to see the team make.
Making that kind of a splash move would indicate that Houston would prefer to keep Durant around long-term. Keeping him for at least two more guaranteed years with an extension would make perfect sense for the Rockets.
During the 2024-25 NBA season with the Suns, Durant showed once again that he’s one of the best pure scorers in the league. He averaged 26.6 points per game in 62 appearances to go along with six rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.2 blocks.
Durant also shot 52.7 percent from the floor and knocked down 43 percent of his three-point attempts.
It will be interesting to see what Houston chooses to do with Durant from a contract perspective. He’s still one of the best players in the game, but he isn’t getting any younger. Do they go ahead and guarantee that kind of money?
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On the outside looking in, the Rockets do appear to be one of the top contenders in the NBA. Alongside Durant, Houston has players like Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson, and Fred VanVleet in the starting lineup. They also have great depth featuring Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela, Steven Adams, Reed Sheppard, and Tari Eason.
Expect to hear more news about Durant and the Rockets. An extension could be worked out if Houston chooses to do so.
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