Rockets Keep 3 Players off Kevin Durant Trade Talks

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The Phoenix Suns are looking to trade Kevin Durant, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The Houston Rockets have drawn a firm line in the sand in the Kevin Durant trade conversations with the Phoenix Suns.

According to Clutchpoints’ Brett Seigel, the Suns have demanded more from the Rockets’ initial offer. However, the Rockets did not counteroffer and rejected their advances.

“Jalen Green and the 10th pick in this year’s draft present a clear opportunity for the Rockets to swing a deal, but the Suns have demanded more, sources said. Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, and Reed Sheppard are among the young talents in Houston that Phoenix has expressed interest in. The Rockets have not been willing to part with any of the three to this point,” Seigel wrote.

The Suns have done their due diligence on Green, gauging his value around the league in case they acquire him in a Durant deal, according to Michael Scotto of Hoopshype. But Seigel added they have not made much progress on that front.

But according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, Green wants to remain in Houston.

“Green, whose name has been connected to Durant and other stars in trade rumors, is determined to improve upon his playoff struggles and wants to stay in Houston, league sources say,” Iko wrote.

Rockets Wary of Kevin Durant’s Age, Fit to Their Young Core

Getty Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns dunks against Dillon Brooks of the Houston Rockets.

The Rockets are one of the three preferred destinations of the 15-time All-Star, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

However, the feelings aren’t strongly mutual.

Iko added that the Rockets have “largely been uninterested in breaking up their depth, even for a future Hall of Famer.”

On top of that, the Rockets are wary of Durant’s fit to their young core’s timeline. The Suns star is turning 37 this September with 41,236 minutes logged over 1,123 regular season games in his NBA career.

Durant has missed an average of 26.5 games per season since he returned from his Achilles injury in 2019.

But Durant can also solve all of the Rockets’ problems — halfcourt scoring, spacing and go-to guy at crunchtime — which was greatly exposed in their first-round loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Veteran point guard Fred VanVleet tried his hardest to fill that role for the Rockets in Games 5 and 6. But he failed in Game 7. Durant would have made a difference against the Warriors, his former team.

Waiting Game

Between now and Wednesday’s NBA Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, expect the Durant trade talks to escalate as the Suns want to make a deal done if a pick in this year’s draft is involve so they can execute the selection.

“Should the Rockets change their stance and offer more draft picks and/or young talents, like Smith or Eason, to the Suns, there is a clear path to a deal being completed before the draft, sources said,” Seigel wrote.

The Rockets, however, remain firm in their stance and they have a good reason why.

Sheppard, last year’s No. 3 pick, has been buried under the Rockets’ deep bench. But the Rockets are still high on him and project him to eventually start for them in the foreseeable future.

Eason has become a defensive lynchpin for the Rockets, teaming up with Amen Thompson to anchor their vaunted defense.

While has yet to pop out in the same way the Rockets’ other first-round picks — Green, Alperen Şengün and Thompson, the pogo-stick big man has been a valuable rotation player for the Rockets.

Over his first three seasons with the Rockets, Smith averaged a decent 13.0 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 43.2% from the field and 34.0% from the 3-point line.

Unless the Suns lower their asking price between now and Wednesday, a Durant trade to Houston is unlikely happening.

Alder Almo is a basketball journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 15 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo