Kevin Durant is moving on to his next destination and analysts have thoughts.
After the Rockets traded Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 overall pick, and five second rounders for KD it's fair to wonder who won the deal.
In the hours following the trade, writers from different outlets are grading the blockbuster from both sides.
Did Phoenix get good enough return for its disgruntled superstar? Did the Rockets fleece a desperate team? Trade grades across the board seems to be synonymous in their thoughts on the deal.
Kevin Durant trade grades
Rockets grade: A- | Suns grade: B-
Noh on Rockets:
"The Rockets were a great regular-season team last year, winning 52 games behind the league's No. 5 defense. On offense, they were a different story. They were a mediocre 12th overall during the regular season, and 22nd in their halfcourt offense. Too often, they went deep into the shot clock and had to fling up a poor attempt. Their lack of shot creation showed up in a big way during a first-round exit to the Warriors.
Durant is a great fit for Houston in that regard. He's still one of the premier isolation scorers in the league. He's able to generate a decent shot at any time, and his 26.6 points per game ranked No. 7 in the league."
Noh on Suns:
"This is going to seem like a pretty bad return for Durant, particularly given that Phoenix had to give up a massive haul in order to acquire him in 2023. As a reminder, that package included Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder, four unprotected first-round picks (2023, 2025, 2027, 2029), and a 2028 pick swap. Yikes.
Getting only one first-round pick back for Durant is a tough pill to swallow, but this was the best offer that was out there. The Suns were aggressively shopping him for months. As good as Durant is, there isn't a great market for a 37-year-old who is in the last year of his contract."
Prince J. Grimes, For The Win
Rockets grade: A- | Suns grade: C-
Grimes on Rockets:
"The loss of Dillon Brooks will hurt Houston's perimeter defense a bit, but it was necessary to make the money work and that's a loss you'll gladly accept to add a player like Durant to a team that had one of the best defenses but was middle of the road offensively (and downright bad in the playoffs). Not to mention, Brooks' departure will help clear a spot int he rotation for last year's first-round pick Reed Sheppard.
Durant's age and availability going forward are a small concern, but you can't fault the Rockets for a taking a swing like this after emerging as the No. 2 seed in the West last season."
Grimes on Suns:
"The No. 10 pick in this year's draft should help them land a young player with real upside to help continue building out a team around Devin Booker, and Jalen Green still has a ton of upside as a career 20-point scorer who's only 23 years old.
Still, you won't be able to argue they got better by losing Durant, which was never a reality. Additionally, adding two perimeter players doesn't make a ton of a sense for a team that already has Booker and Bradley Beal (unless they plan to move Beal next, which won't be easy). Especially when neither of those perimeter players is a point guard."
Ricky O'Donnell, SB Nation
Rockets grade: A | Suns grade: D
O'Donnell on Rockets:
"Houston really didn’t give up much in this deal. Green is unquestionably a bad contract with three years, $105 million remaining on his deal. Green has been an inefficient scorer since entering the league, and it would be addition-by-subtraction just taking him out of the lineup, let alone replacing him with Kevin freaking Durant. The Rockets also retained all of their best young players this deal. Amen Thompson was always going to be off limits, but getting this deal done without including Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, or even Cam Whitmore is a huge win for Houston."
O'Donnell on Suns:
"Not even getting Sheppard in this deal is a huge bummer for Phoenix. The Suns don’t control their first-round draft pick until 2032, and they remain saddled with Beal’s huge contract for two more seasons. The Suns are in the worst position in the NBA, and their refusal to trade Booker to recoup assets is simply delusional.
There’s no path for Phoenix to compete in the West anytime soon, and the most likely scenario is Booker signs a huge extension and then asks out when he’s older and has less value. The Suns could not have played this worse, starting with overpaying for Durant and then making the disastrous Beal trade, and Jusuf Nurkic deal. The Suns are in basketball hell, and their only salvation would be hitting a home run with this No. 10 pick."
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