Suns Kevin Durant has an 'ideal' preference on his next team

Rankin on why Durant to Rockets work on every level:

“A league source informed The Republic the Rockets would be the ideal landing spot for Durant, saying they need a ‘go-to guy’ in the fourth quarter and have draft picks and young players to offer the Suns in return. Rockets coach Ime Udoka also has a relationship with Durant. Udoka was an assistant in Brooklyn in the 2020-21 season when Durant was with the Nets. Durant is also close friends with Rockets assistant Royal Ivey. They both played at the University of Texas and were teammates at Oklahoma City.”

Udoka was also a part of the 2020 USA Olympics coaching staff and has had a close relationship with Durant for the past few years. Houston will have the salary to match Durant and the young prospects to sweeten the deal for Phoenix. Another aspect that could convince the 36-year-old to allow a trade to the Rockets is if the franchise commits to an multi-year extension with Durant.

Durant is entering the last year of his contract, and to help the Suns return package, he would likely have to sign a contract extension before the trade is agreed upon. However, with the pieces in Houston and the desire to contend after an embarrassing 1st-round exit, the Rockets should have no problem offering Durant high-level money.