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Kevin Durant was acquired by the Houston Rockets in the offseason.
Before acquiring Jimmy Butler before the 2025 NBA trade deadline in February, the Golden State Warriors were linked to Kevin Durant. The Warriors were in danger of missing the playoffs and wanted to extend the championship window for Steph Curry.
Durant spoke at the 2025 Game Plan Sports Business Summit hosted by CNBC and Boardroom in Los Angeles on September 16. He opened up about the rumors that linked him to Golden State, confirming his former team’s genuine interest. His agent and longtime business partner Rich Kleiman made the decision to stop the reunion.
“I heard Golden State was in the mix around the trade deadline, but that’s when Rich came into play, and those relationships that we built around the league and also playing in Golden State helped. We were able to tell them kind of hold off on that,” Durant said, as per Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin.
Durant spent three seasons in the Bay Area from 2016 to 2019, winning two NBA championships in three NBA Finals appearances. He also took home two NBA Finals MVPs, but he hasn’t returned to the promised land during his stints with the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns.
Kevin Durant on Being Shopped by the Suns in February
After the shocking Luka Doncic trade on February 2, there were rampant rumors about Kevin Durant possibly getting dealt next. According to Duane Rankin, Durant was disappointed to hear about it elsewhere rather than from the Phoenix Suns front office and ownership.
“Initially, I was a little upset because I felt like we built a solid relationship, me and the Phoenix Suns. And to hear that from a different party was kind of upsetting, but that’s just the name of the game. So I got over that quickly and was trying to figure out what the next steps were,” Durant said at the Game Plan Sports Business Summit.
KD finished the season with the Suns, failing to make the playoffs despite the expectations before the campaign. He was finally dealt to the Houston Rockets on July 6 in the largest trade in NBA history, which involved seven teams, as per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
The two-time champ joined a Rockets team that finished second in the Western Conference last season. They boast young stars like Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson. They also reinforced their depth by adding key free agents like Clint Capela, Josh Okogie and Dorian Finney-Smith.
Kevin Durant Entering Final Year of His Contract
The Houston Rockets took a gamble in the acquisition of Kevin Durant because he’s in the final year of his contract. Durant will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2025-26 NBA season.
William Guillory of The Athletic reported on September 10 that Durant and the Rockets are expected to agree on a contract extension. The Rockets are prioritizing Tari Eason‘s rookie extension before finalizing a deal with the 2014 NBA MVP.
“All signs point to Durant inking some form of an extension in the coming weeks that will tie him to Houston for the foreseeable future. The belief among many around the NBA is that Houston is working to secure a long-term extension with Tari Eason, who also has one year remaining on his contract, before inking Durant’s new deal,” Guillory wrote.
Durant is set to turn 37 on September 29, but he’s still among the best players in the NBA.
Juan Paolo David Juan Paolo David is a sports journalist covering basketball for Heavy. He has a decade of experience writing about the NBA and WWE. He’s currently based in the Philippines. More about Juan Paolo David
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