Kendrick Perkins Says Rockets Should Target Different Star Over Giannis Antetokounmpo

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Nathaniel Holloway | Last updated May 8, 2025 5:11 PM ET

The NBA season came to an end in the first round of the playoffs for the Houston Rockets as they were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors.

Of course, the Rockets put together a great season that saw them enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference but after falling behind the Warriors 3-1 in the series, they were unable to make a comeback.

Houston was able to force Game 7 on their home court but they were dominated in the game by Golden State, ending their season.

With their season now over, the Rockets have some key decisions to make in the offseason, including possibly targeting a superstar player on the trade market.

If the Rockets do end up going after a star player in the offseason, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins believes that they should target Phoenix Suns star forward Kevin Durant over Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“I'm going after Kevin Durant. I'll package up Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore and Jabari Smith and some draft picks and go out and get KD, not Giannis,” Perkins said.

Kendrick Perkins says the Rockets should go after Kevin Durant instead of Giannis

"I'm going after Kevin Durant. I'll package up Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore and Jabari Smith and some draft picks and go out and get KD, not Giannis"

(h/t @ohnohedidnt24 )

pic.twitter.com/JMdglM7vvt
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 5, 2025

This is an interesting take by Perkins since Giannis is much younger than Durant, but he does make a solid point.

Of course, Durant is expected to be on the move this summer after the Suns fell below expectations after missing the playoffs.

Because of this, Phoenix is expected to rebuild their roster around Devin Booker, which likely means that Durant will be on his way out.

Durant would be a solid fit with the Rockets as he would finally give them a true superstar player, but Houston has been lenient on breaking up their young core.

That could change in the offseason, though, especially after their first-round exit and there is no doubt that Perkins’ trade proposal would work out well for the Suns as well as they would be able to add some young talent around Booker to begin their rebuild.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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