How Blockbuster Kevin Durant Trade Changes Mavericks Playoff Chances

DALLAS - In a blockbuster trade, Kevin Durant has been swapped from Phoenix to an in-state rival of the Dallas Mavericks ... and the reverberations here are many.

The Houston Rockets have found the scoring that they sorely lacked in their playoff time last season.

Durant, a two-time NBA champion, former Most Valuable Player winner, and a 15-time All-Star, joins a Rockets team that had a very impressive season last year. He brings so many things to that club that the Mavericks will - among many challenges - have to learn how to defend multiple times a year in the regular season.

The trade breaks down like this ...

Houston Rockets receive: Kevin Durant

Phoenix Suns receive: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in this year's draft, and five second-round picks

Green was a dynamic player for the Rockets and always showed out against the Mavericks. He averaged 17.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in his 16 games against Dallas throughout his career. 

However, during the playoffs, he virtually disappeared at times, leaving Houston with the need to find some consistency on the offensive end.

Perhaps another underrated effect on the Mavericks is the trading of Brooks. 

Brooks, throughout his career, has been somewhat of a nuisance, and his physical nature on the defensive end has caused some Mavericks in the past to be thrown off their game. Brooks going to Phoenix will lower the number of times the Mavs have to face him throughout the regular season.

Ultimately, Durant does pose a different threat for sure for Dallas. In his 51 games against the Mavericks, he has averaged 25.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. 

It remains to be seen how this will impact the Dallas Mavericks and their chances of making the playoffs this year; after all, we don't yet know much about projected centerpiece Cooper Flagg, slated to be Dallas' No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

However, one thing is for certain: their in-state rival definitely looks to be firing on all cylinders offensively with this move. ... and the Rockets (at +750) now have the consensus second-best odds to win the 2025-26 NBA title, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder (+250). ...

Which adds to Dallas' odds-related uphill battle.