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Suns trade Kevin Durant to Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks in blockbuster move
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- Suns trade Kevin Durant to Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks in blockbuster move
Kevin Durant , once again, is on the move.
The Phoenix Suns will ship Durant, a two-time NBA champion, 15-time All-Star and one of the elite players and scorers of his generation, to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Jalen Green , Dillon Brooks , the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft and five second-round picks, a person with knowledge of the deal confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.
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The person spoke under the condition of anonymity on Sunday, June 22, because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the trade until it becomes official.
Durant is set to enter the final season of his contract.
The trade cannot be formalized until July 6, the end of the transaction moratorium that allows teams to sign players and consummate trades.
ESPN was first to report the news of the trade.
Since he won a pair of consecutive NBA championships with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018, Durant has sought another title. His stints with the Brooklyn Nets and Suns didn't elevate either team to serious contention, though his statistical production has remained constant.
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And, with Durant set to enter the 2025-26 season as a 37-year-old, this may present his last chance to contend for another NBA Finals.
This past season, Phoenix missed the play-in window and finished 11th in the Western Conference with a 36-46 record. The Suns dealt with several injuries throughout the season, including an ankle issue Durant sustained toward the end of the regular season that forced him to miss Phoenix's final seven games, six of which were losses.
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant reacts after having his jersey pulled during action against the Golden State Warriors.
The Suns, who had the highest payroll in the NBA with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal also commanding large salaries, struggled to gel and lacked depth. In an attempt to work through those issues, players often had to change their roles and responsibilities, ultimately costing former coach Mike Budenholzer his job .
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Despite that, Durant averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in 62 appearances.
Why did Rockets trade for Kevin Durant ?
In Durant, the Rockets are acquiring a proven commodity and an elite, three-level scorer who can knock down shots with ease, particularly late in games.
This is something that should instantly help Houston, whose offense at times stagnated with no obvious top scoring threat. The No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, the Rockets were bounced out of the first round of the playoffs. This move should boost Houston's chance to make a deep run in the postseason.
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The Suns must now find a formula to become competitive while incorporating all of their guards into the offense. Green, 23, averaged 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game this season. He's a hyper-athletic, streaky guard who's capable of prolific scoring, though he struggled in the playoffs. Brooks, more of a defensive player that can slide into a small forward role, also plays the position. They are joining four-time All-Star Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, who are also guards.
Kevin Durant career stats
With 30,571 career points, Durant ranks eighth on the all-time scoring list and is in real position to climb further; Durant, who scored 1,647 points this season with the Suns, needs just 1,722 points to surpass Michael Jordan (32,292), who is fifth on the list.
A four-time scoring champion, two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, 11-time All-NBA selection and the 2013-14 NBA Most Valuable Player, Durant was selected second overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics (who later became the Oklahoma City Thunder ).
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Durant, a fixture on Team USA, is also a four-time Olympic gold medalist.
How old is Kevin Durant?
Kevin Durant is currently 36 years old, but will turn 37 on September 29. He is set to enter the final year of his contract, which will pay him $54.7 million . Given the haul that they shipped to Phoenix to acquire Durant, the Rockets are expected to seek an extension with Durant.
(This story was updated with new information.)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kevin Durant traded to Rockets in blockbuster deal: See trade details
