There’s no doubt that the Houston Rockets’ trading for Kevin Durant was one of the biggest moves of the offseason. In terms of trades and free agency signings, it might have been the most notable.
Despite being 37 years old, Durant is still one of the best players in the NBA. Last season with the Phoenix Suns, he averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists on 53-43-84 shooting splits.
Perhaps the best part about this blockbuster trade is that Durant joined a Rockets squad that just went 52-30 and captured the second seed in the Western Conference last season. Houston desperately needed a go-to scorer after losing to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, and Durant is just that.
NBA.com’s Brian Martin listed out the 20 most notable storylines of the 2025 offseason, and Houston’s trade to acquire Durant was listed at No. 2. The top headline was the Dallas Mavericks taking generational prospect Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft.
“After their first-round playoff exit, the Rockets made the biggest trade of not just the summer, but the first-ever seven-team trade in league history, to land Kevin Durant from Phoenix in exchange for Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green and future draft picks,” Marting wrote. “Durant enters his 18th NBA season as the eighth leading scorer in league history.”
The Rockets will be without Fred VanVleet for what could be the entire season with a torn ACL, but they are still legitimate title contenders after the Durant trade. Houston supplemented the move with more veteran talent, getting players like Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela and Josh Okogie.
The Rockets will be faced with the tall task of competing in a loaded Western Conference. The Oklahoma City Thunder are head-and-shoulders above the rest of the league right now, and there are around nine teams in the conference that have a legitimate case to be a top-six seed.
Durant gives the Rockets a new dimension of offense to complement an already-elite defense. They ranked top five in defensive rating last season, but lacked on the other side of the floor.
The 6-foot-11 scorer will take the load off of the young core’s shoulders in late-game situations, particularly in the playoffs. Much of the rotation still lacks experience, and it showed in the 2025 playoffs. Now that Durant is in the mix, Houston has validated hope for an NBA title.