Grade the Trade: Houston Rockets Acquire Kevin Durant

After weeks of speculation, reports, and rumors, Phoenix finally completes its negotiation to offload one of the greatest scorers of all time. Durant had a disappointing tenure with the Suns, but there's hope that he'll have a career renaissance given Houston's rise over the last nine months or so. As for Phoenix, their handling of the situation was disappointing, to put it lightly.

Phoenix Suns: C-

It's tough to speculate whether or not the Suns are done making major changes to the roster. The glaring issue with this team wasn't Durant; it was Bradley Beal. The 31-year-old is still eating away at Phoenix's salary cap, making nearly $54 million next season.

The Suns are still in salary cap hell; they just have young assets instead of an aging star. That's what keeps this trade from an 'F' grade. What's most disappointing is that Phoenix didn't get enough for a former MVP who just averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists.

Don't expect one trade to solve all of a team's problems, but nothing got fixed for the Suns. The Jalen Green-Devin Booker fit looks merky unless Green is rerouted, and Dillon Brooks doesn't move the needle either. Phoenix still has a glaring center issue, which can hopefully be fixed with the No. 10 pick.

The Suns failed to get any of the young players in Houston's young core: Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore, or Reed Sheppard. The fact that three of those four players play less than 25 minutes per game and Phoenix STILL couldn't convince the Rockets to throw them in the trade is ludicrous.

Not to mention, the Rockets still own the Suns' 2027 and 2029 first-round picks. The trade still doesn't allow Phoenix to blow it up if things continue to go sideways.

Hopefully, the Suns aren't done yet. Green still has a lot of promise at 23 years old, and Phoenix is bound to hit on one of the five second-round picks. However, the team is still in the middle of the road, neither a lottery team nor a legitimate playoff contender. You have to think the Suns could have done a lot better with the return package.

Houston Rockets: A-

As for the Rockets, the trade fixes a lot of offensive issues. They relied heavily on Fred VanVleet in the backend of their first-round series against the Golden State Warriors, as he was their only shot creator for most of those seven games. Now, Durant brings a new dimension of offense to an already-elite defensive group.

This past season, Houston ranked 21st in three-point percentage (35.3%), 22nd in threes made (12.7 per game), and 24th in true shooting (55.3%). There was a clear lack of offense, while Ime Udoka's defensive strategy led the Rockets to a 52-30 record.

Durant adds a newfound sense of shot creation and three-point shooting to the team, which takes the load off of All-Star center Alperen Sengun.

Assuming VanVleet is brought back, Houston's starting lineup is even more dangerous than before, and the team still has plenty of depth. The starting lineup is assumed to be VanVleet, Thompson, Durant, Smith, and Sengun. A great blend of stars and role players while still keeping the same defensive identity.

There are two concerns for Houston in this situation. The first is Durant's contract. While the team has plenty of cap space right now (assuming VanVleet is brought back on a better deal), extensions for the young core could make things complicated down the road. On top of that, Durant is in the last year of his deal, and the Rockets are likely to give him a two-year, $122 million extension after July 6.

The second is the star's history with his last two teams. Durant's tenures with the Suns and Brooklyn Nets were disappointing, to say the least. Is Houston's roster enough to change the narrative? On paper, yes. But that, of course, remains to be seen.

The rebuttal to those concerns is that the Rockets still have plenty of young players plus draft picks if things go sideways. We haven't even seen Sheppard and Whitmore get legitimate minutes, while the rest of the team is still tapping into its potential. Expect Houston to remain extremely competitive in a loaded Western Conference.