KD Completes Rockets, Suns Stuck In The Mud

KD Completes Rockets, Suns Stuck In The Mud

another [Music] week another blockbuster trade in the nba this time it’s kevin durant on the move again with the houston rockets meeting phoenix’s discounted price for the future hall of fame the rockets just took a massive step forward while jaylen green and the suns remain stuck in the mud [Music] there was no better trade target for the rockets than durant he instantly fills their need for a game-changing shot creator at a fraction of the price they would have paid for younger perhaps inferior options as one of durant’s preferred destinations houston likely doesn’t view this as a one-year rental either i’m not leaving the rockets will feel brook’s departure on the defensive end where the veteran forward helped forge houston’s identity upon his 2023 arrival but between budding star amen thompson and defensive menace tari een this team is well equipped to withstand that blow the rockets managed to keep thompson een 22-year-old all-star alpar shenon jabari smith jr cam whitmore and reed shepard while adding the type of star who can solve the club’s offensive issues durant may no longer be in his mvp caliber prime but there are few better shot creators tough shot makers or overall scorers the 36-year-old averaged 26.6 points on 64% true shooting in 2024 25 converting at a 57% clip inside the ark and 43% rate from deep he’ll command defensive attention in ways no other rocket can and he still has the length and smarts to be a plus defender on the other end all of that should be music to the ears of a houston team whose 12th ranked offense was fooled goal the rockets offensive success relied too heavily on offensive rebounding and transition opportunities while their halfcourt efficiency ranked 22nd durant’s presence should immediately result in a more playoff proof attack especially if houston retains starting point guard fred van vleet katie isn’t without his warts he’s not as durable as he was before achilles and knee injuries took their toll and his shot diet can skew too much to the mid-range in addition locker room drama and coaching turmoil seem to follow him wherever he goes but he’s still a superstar scorer who gives the rockets so much of what they’ve been missing over the last couple years when feisty defensive teams didn’t have enough firepower to truly contend they do now and they didn’t have to sell the farm to get it as for the suns phoenix was never going to recoup the value traded away for durant two years ago looking at this trade in a vacuum phoenix did well enough to extract some value from kd a year before his free agency the big picture is still horrific though
how did it come to this brooks will help defensively if phoenix still wants to field a team featuring devin booker and bradley beal meanwhile green all those extra second rounders and this year’s 10th pick which was phoenix’s to begin with can start laying some groundwork for the future but the suns still have plenty of work to do as they don’t control any of their own first rounders between 2026 and 2031 the suns aren’t good enough to compete in the western conference they don’t have the draft capital required to bottom out and trade booker and their most toxic asset beal’s contract has a no trade clause attached to it unless beal waves that clause or gets bought out or until booker becomes fed up having to share the court with beal and green the suns will remain stuck in no man’s land now about green the 23-year-old has plenty of fans among those who want to watch an athletic youngster dribble the ball take tough shots and provide the occasional highlight but he’s not a winning player at least not yet green’s flashed moments of brilliance and even weeksl long stretches of solid two-way play but his potential has thus far been more hypothetical than practical he’s not efficient enough to have the ball on a serious team but he’s also not consistent or smart enough off the ball or on the defensive end to be a valuable role player in addition to his pension for headscratching turnovers green has been a below average finisher from almost every area of the court in each of his four seasons according to cleaning the glass he’ll also carry an average salary of $35.1 million over the next three years with a player option in 2027-28 it’s not ideal
it feels like the suns gave up kd and did the rockets a favor by taking green’s contract off their hands instead of phoenix acquiring a promising youngster who can serve as a building block thanks for watching if you like this video and want to see more content like this be sure to hit that subscribe button [Music]

Kevin Durant is on the move again, with the Houston Rockets meeting Phoenix’s discounted price for the future Hall of Famer. The Rockets just took a massive step forward, while Jalen Green and the Suns remain stuck in no man’s land.

Written & Narrated by: Joseph Casciaro (@JosephCasciaro | X)
Produced & Edited by: James Balutan (@jamesbalutan | Instagram)
Thumbnail Design by: Justin Shipley (@shipleysportstudio | Instagram)

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