It seems like the Kevin Durant rumors to the Houston Rockets have slowed up after spreading like wildfire to start the month of May.
Durant has reportedly been prepared to exit Phoenix after not reaching the playoffs this season, and will more than likely be looking for a championship contender to play on as he heads into his age-37 season next year.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN was recently asked about Durant’s future with Phoenix on NBA Today.
“Kevin Durant, I’m like 98% sure he’s not gonna be a Sun next year. How it works out, though, I’m about 1% sure,” Windhorst said. “There’s going to be a number of teams interested, but some of it is going to depend on whether they see Durant as a player they keep on a one-year contract or if they want to get him and give him a contract extension, which I suspect he’s going to want.”
These rumors stem from The Athletic’s Kelly Iko and Sam Amick’s article on Houston’s offseason, in which the writers stated, “Durant is widely seen as the most attainable…and he is known to be very interested in playing in Houston.”
The Rockets have plenty of pieces to offer up to the Suns for a perennial scorer like Durant, however, the biggest red flag for Houston in acquiring one of the game’s best scorers is Durant’s durability, as injuries have been a hindrance in recent seasons.
Durant was able to log 62 games this past season, putting together a superb 26.6 points, 6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, displaying the natural offensive threat the Slim Reaper has been for 18 NBA seasons.
He will be owed the remaining $54.7 million from his four-year contract, and any team, including the Houston Rockets, will have to take that into account for their future payroll.
Depending on where coach Ime Udoka wants to take his team, if they are looking to be hungry and head into a win-now mode, then adding a legitimate scoring option like Durant can be the biggest option this free agency.
However, if Udoka is fine with playing the long game and developing his team rather than trading them away, then these Durant to Houston rumors were nothing but a summer smoke screen.
