Kevin Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets on Sunday, and there was one other group that was a finalist for him.
The Miami Warmth additionally negotiated with the Phoenix Suns for Durant and have been the opposite finalist for the previous NBA MVP, in accordance with Shams Charania. The Rockets gained the bidding for Durant by buying and selling Jalen Inexperienced, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 draft choose this 12 months and 5 second-round picks to Phoenix for KD.
We don’t know the small print of the Warmth’s provide, however they reportedly wouldn’t embody Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, Haywood Highsmith or the No. 20 choose in a commerce.
The Suns buying and selling Durant is not any shock. It was an anticipated end result after Phoenix disenchanted this season with a 36-46 file and did not qualify for the playoffs. He was traded to the Suns in 2023 and performed two and a half seasons with them, however the group by no means had the success it had envisioned. Even the addition of Bradley Beal to offer it a “massive three” with Devin Booker didn’t work out. So now Durant is headed to the Rockets, which completed second within the West this season.
The Warmth have been in an analogous spot to the Suns and completed 37-45 to overlook the postseason. Their season went sideways, and so they dealt Jimmy Butler to the Warriors midseason. They have been wanting so as to add one other big-time participant to assist fill the void left by the Butler commerce however had no such luck.
Durant is below contract for the upcoming season at $54.7M. He might be a free agent after that. Houston is hoping he’ll propel it to the highest of the West.
