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Rockets Recent Signing Affects Suns Trade For Kevin Durant
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant and Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Suns are looking to trade Kevin Durant before the NBA Draft, and the Houston Rockets are a potential partner for them.

The Suns want to get a deal done before the draft on June 25 in order to potentially acquire a pick or two to add to their arsenal.

The Rockets hold the rights to the Suns' pick, which ended up at No. 10 overall. The Rockets were looking at possibly adding a center with the selection, but they signed Steven Adams to a three-year deal worth $39 million, which makes them unlikely to pick a big man in the lottery.

The Rockets have been littered with lottery picks since 2021. The team has taken 10 first-round picks in the last four drafts and have only been able to keep six on the roster. Adding one more lottery pick to the roster doesn't make much sense for Houston.

Therefore, the Rockets are more likely to trade that No. 10 pick ahead of the draft, and the Suns could be a team to watch for that selection. The Suns could take the No. 10 pick, Jalen Green and Cam Whitmore for Durant, and that could be what gets Phoenix back on track.

Green would work next to Devin Booker in the backfield, while Whitmore could be a wing that fits in with either the starting lineup or second unit, and that could go a long way for Phoenix to get back in the mix in the Western Conference.

Add the two athletic young players with another lottery-level talent could be a good haul for Durant, and it might be the best package available from all of the teams looking to make a deal for the future Hall-of-Famer.

Durant could be traded at any point within the next few days leading up to the draft.


This article first appeared on Phoenix Suns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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