Phoenix Suns Eyeing Two of Houston Rockets Rising Stars in Trade

While it was already figured to be a hefty asking price for Durant, despite the reports of Phoenix lowering their asking price, it is unlikely that the Houston Rockets are ready to part with Jabari Smith Jr. and maybe even Jalen Green.

Green has already been featured in a few different trade scenarios, so it would not be a hard departure, also given the fact that the Rockets have Reed Sheppard ready for an increase in minutes. Houston may not want to part ways with their two-way forward Jabari Smith Jr., especially with the high ceiling Smith offers at the age of only 22.

Offensively, Smith J. is not gifted as Durant was in his third season in the league, but he still put together a solid 12.2 points and 7 rebounds average, also showing decent consistency behind the arc at 35.4%. If he can continue to develop his game this offseason, he could take the same leap as teammate Alperen Sengun did in his fourth NBA season.

Smith Jr. resembles a similar structure and profile to Durant, but is a whopping 14 years younger than the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer. Surely, as it stands, Smith is nowhere near the scorer that Kevin Durant is right now, given the fact that he is coming off a 62-game season, averaging 26.6 points, which ranked sixth in the league.

However, Smith is a tremendous defensive player, ranking third in the NBA in defensive ratings among players averaging 30 minutes at 106.1. Which speaks volumes to the type of team Rockets head coach Ime Udoka is trying to run.

It's unlikely the Rockets will feature Jabari Smith Jr. in any trade package with Phoenix this offseason, and if he is the deal breaker between these two teams, it could be in Houston's best interest to just keep Smith Jr. and allow his offensive game to develop even further.

Depending on how bad Houston wants to put themselves in the driver's seat to contend for a championship next season will make or break their trade proposals this offseason, especially when it comes to the former NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant.