Can a Houston Rockets Championship Help Right Some of Kevin Durant's Wrongs?

Of course, basketball fans are aware of how elite Durant was during his time with Golden State, thanks to his accolades in the Bay Area. The future Hall of Famer also had some decent stops on his way to the Houston Rockets, spending two and a half seasons with the Brooklyn Nets and two full seasons with the Phoenix Suns.

In Brooklyn, fans were poised to see the superstar tandem of Durant and high-profile guards Kyrie Irving and James Harden. However, the expectations of the Nets' big three were short-lived, as the stars only played a total of 16 games together. Kevin Durant spoke to the Associated Press earlier this year about his time in Brooklyn, acknowledging the rough patches the team dealt with, but also touched on the chemistry between the stars.

"I think that was the main thing, that we just didn't get on the court together," Durant said. "A lot of injuries. Injuries to me, James and Kyrie kind of played a factor, along with COVID...But I think basketball-wise, chemistry-wise, camaraderie-wise, teamwork-wise, I thought it was the perfect, ideal situation."

Unfortunately for Nets fans, the trio was out of Brooklyn by the end of the 2022-23 season. The star forward was traded to the Phoenix Suns, pairing Durant alongside Devin Booker with title aspirations. The Suns also traded for Bradley Beal in an attempt to create their own superteam; however, these trades would not result in the championship desires that the Suns had.

During these trades, Phoenix gave up a substantial amount of its core roster as well as draft capital. Which, in hindsight, had they won an NBA title following those trades, then it may not be an issue, but because the Suns found themselves exiting the playoffs in back-to-back seasons with no way to add key role players, the result of the Phoenix super team was essentially a failure.

Durant has not seen the promised land since 2018 with the Warriors, creating a narrative among fans to believe the stints in Brooklyn and Phoenix to be missteps in his career, despite his outstanding averages, All-NBA honors and All-Star bids during this time.

Now, as the former MVP embarks on what may be his last franchise in the Houston Rockets, some fans and media have questioned just how much an NBA Championship can impact Durant's legacy at this stage in his career. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith even said with this move, "KD is back in the championship equation."

Surrounded by athleticism and talent with the Rockets, the 6-foot-11 sniper was brought in this summer to be the alpha scorer and late-game closer that Houston desperately needed last season. Fueled by a defensive-minded coach in Ime Udoka, Houston has an opportunity to make it past the first round with the addition of Kevin Durant.

A third NBA title for KD will put him in some illustrious conversations as the 37-year-old is already ranked the No. 3 best small forward of all-time per HoopsHype and came in at No. 13 on Bleacher Report's Top 100 NBA Players Ever.

If the Rockets and the superstar forward can land an NBA championship during his tenure with the team, then this could very well make up for the failed championship experiments in Brooklyn and Phoenix on Durant's basketball resume.