Kevin Durant, the NBA’s most itinerant superstar, is packing his bags yet again, this time for Space City. Phoenix has agreed to send the 15-time All-Star to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, defensive ace Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft and five second-rounders. The deal was first reported by ESPN and set to become official when the transaction moratorium lifts on July 6, vaults Houston from an intriguing upstart to a legitimate contender while forcing Phoenix into a drastic roster rethink.
For the Rockets, the gamble is obvious and irresistible and they were the surprise No. 2 seed last season but fizzled in the first round when late-game shot creation dried up. Durant, owner of 30,571 career points, four scoring titles and two Finals MVPs, solves that problem with a single silky pull-up. Even at 36, he remains a three-level marksman who averaged 26.6 points on 52% shooting in 2024-25. With one year and $54.7 million left on his deal, Houston is expected to chase an extension immediately; you don’t surrender a haul like this for a one-year rental.
Phoenix, meanwhile, finally tips its top-heavy roster on its head. The Suns finished a disappointing 36-46, missing the play-in, and never found on-court chemistry between Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Green, still only 23, gives them a bouncy scorer to pair with Booker long-term, while Brooks injects much-needed perimeter grit. The move also trims what was the league’s fattest payroll, setting the stage for a younger, deeper supporting cast under a new coach, whomever that ends up being after Mike Budenholzer’s abrupt departure.
The blockbuster lands only a week after the league crowned a new champion, underscoring how fluid NBA supremacy has become. On Sunday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder capped a 68-win regular season with a 103-91 Game 7 victory over the Indiana Pacers to capture their first title since moving from Seattle in 2008. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a LeBron-esque stat line of 29 points, 12 assists, five boards, two blocks and a steal, securing the rare triple crown of regular-season MVP, Finals MVP and championship ring in the same year. Running mate Jalen Williams added 20 points, and rookie-phenom-turned-paint-patrol Chet Holmgren swatted five shots while chipping in 18 points.
OKC’s youth was on full display as they outraced and out-defended Indiana, whose hopes dimmed when All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton re-aggravated a right calf strain and exited in the first quarter. The Pacers’ 23 turnovers morphed into 32 Thunder points, turning a tense 56-56 third-quarter knot into a runaway. Bennett Mathurin’s 24-point, 13-rebound effort wasn’t enough to offset the miscues.
The Thunder, now the league’s seventh different champion in seven seasons and the second-youngest title team in 50 years, appear poised for a mini-dynasty unless Houston’s new super-duo has something to say about it. With Durant hunting a third ring and the Rockets desperate to break through, the Western Conference suddenly feels like a Texas-sized showdown waiting to happen.