The Houston Rockets ‘went back on their word’ by trading for Kevin Durant

Houston Rockets ‘went back on their word’ to trade for Kevin Durant

The Rockets carefully constructed their roster for years. They traded for a rookie Sengun, drafted Thompson and Jalen Green, and brought in an NBA finalist head coach, Ime Udoka, to lift them into contention.

Last season, everything came together. A 52-30 season saw them as the second-best team in the West through the regular season. They lost to Stephen Curry and the Warriors in the first round, however, and their hopes of a championship were dashed at the first hurdle.

Instead of taking learnings from that experience and coming back stronger next season, the Rockets made a big swing by trading for Durant. In doing so, they went against everything that got them into this position.

Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints explained, “For years, the Rockets preached internal growth and sustainability. No matter what questions he faced, Stone and owner Tilman Fertitta always shot down the speculation that this franchise would leverage assets they’ve stockpiled through the years during their rebuild to add a superstar in trade talks.

“Well, the Rockets’ leadership went back on their word, as they pulled off the biggest trade of the offseason by acquiring 15-time All-Star and two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns. This deal came at the cost of Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th-overall pick in this year’s draft (Khaman Maluach), and five second-round picks.”

It’s a low price for Durant, all things considered. The Rockets were able to keep hold of their best pieces and create a big three with Durant, Sengun and Thompson. But they didn’t learn the lessons from last season’s NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Oklahoma City Thunder won the championship through patience

If any lesson could be taken from the previous NBA season, it’s that building a homegrown superteam is possible. The Thunder drafted Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, and have developed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander into an MVP since trading for him in 2019.

The journey to the top wasn’t steady for the Thunder. After missing the playoffs for three straight seasons, Oklahoma City was the one-seed in the West in the 2023-24 season. Their season ended in disappointment, falling to Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks, but OKC didn’t tear it down.

Instead, they learned lessons, continued to develop their core, and came back stronger next season. Gilgeous-Alexander won MVP and the Thunder won the championship, their big three playing to an elite standard.

The Rockets, on the other hand, opted for an offseason swing. They sensed a chance to win now and thought Durant would be a perfect fit alongside their young stars. Maybe he will, and maybe Durant will lead Houston to the title.

But the Thunder showed the league that Houston didn’t need to go against everything they have preached in recent seasons to get over the edge. It’s possible for young stars to improve over the summer, and the Rockets could have mounted a significant challenge in their second season with Udoka.

But the Rockets grew impatient and rolled the dice. Now it’s in Durant’s hands.