Kevin Durant trade grade: Rockets land a No. 1 scorer, Suns get younger with Jalen Green

Hours before a 2025 NBA champion would be decided, the Suns and Rockets decided to interject themselves into the news cycle. The teams came to terms on a long-anticipated trade that will send Kevin Durant to Houston. 

Durant will join a Rockets team that was still able to hold onto most of its core and is coming off a season in which they finished second in the Western Conference. Expectations for Houston will be high. Will he be enough to take them over the top, and did the Suns get enough for him? 

Here's how each of the teams did. 

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Kevin Durant trade details

Rockets receive:

• Kevin Durant

Suns receive:

• Jalen Green
• Dillon Brooks
• 2025 no. 10 pick
• Five second-round picks

Rockets trade grade

The Rockets were a great regular-season team last year, winning 52 games behind the league's No. 5 defense.

On offense, they were a different story. They were a mediocre 12th overall during the regular season, and 22nd in their halfcourt offense. Too often, they went deep into the shot clock and had to fling up a poor attempt. Their lack of shot creation showed up in a big way during a first-round exit to the Warriors. 

Durant is a great fit for Houston in that regard. He's still one of the premier isolation scorers in the league. He's able to generate a decent shot at any time, and his 26.6 points per game ranked No. 7 in the league. 

Durant has certainly declined from his MVP days, but he is still a great player. He made his 15th All-Star game this season, and would likely have made his 12th All-NBA team had he just played in a handful more games in order to qualify for the award. 

That caveat brings up some of the issues that Durant has, and why Houston had to pay such a modest price in order to acquire him. While he was relatively healthy early in his career, he has averaged only 54.8 games per season since tearing his Achilles in 2019. He also isn't the plus defender that he was during his prime. 

Durant is in the final year of a contract that will pay him $54.7 million. He will be seeking a big new deal. He will be eligible to sign a two-year extension that will pay him $122 million, per ESPN's Bobby Marks. That could become problematic down the line. 

Despite those concerns, this was a price low enough that it would be hard for the Rockets to say no to this deal.

Jalen Green did not play well for Houston in the playoffs, and Durant is certainly a much better and more reliable scorer. Dillon Brooks changed the culture of the team, but the Rockets have young players who can replace that production. And while the No. 10 pick in this draft is a valuable asset, Houston is already struggling to find minutes for everyone in its deep and young rotation. 

The Rockets are still well behind the Thunder after this trade. But they have a ton of first-round picks remaining in order to continue to upgrade their team. They got better while retaining most of their draft stash. What's not to like? 

Rockets grade: A-

Suns trade grade

This is going to seem like a pretty bad return for Durant, particularly given that Phoenix had to give up a massive haul in order to acquire him in 2023. As a reminder, that package included Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder, four unprotected first-round picks (2023, 2025, 2027, 2029), and a 2028 pick swap. Yikes.

Getting only one first-round pick back for Durant is a tough pill to swallow, but this was the best offer that was out there. The Suns were aggressively shopping him for months. As good as Durant is, there isn't a great market for a 37-year-old who is in the last year of his contract. 

The Suns should at least be credited with making the decision to move Durant rather than running their current team back. That was the other option, and it would have led absolutely nowhere. 

As bad as last year was, the Suns should be worse next season. Their roster doesn't make much sense right now. 

— Dan Feldman (@DanFeldmanNBA) June 22, 2025

That shouldn't matter much. Phoenix desperately needs some high-level young prospects to put alongside Devin Booker. They will get a good player with the No. 10 pick this year (Given owner Mat Ishbia's proclivities to bring Michigan State players in, could that be Jase Richardson?).

Phoenix is also getting some decent veterans here. Green is a divisive player, but he can score. And Brooks will bring some much-needed defensive toughness to a group that did not compete hard enough on that end of the floor. 

Five second-round picks sound like a nice haul too. But the value of those picks has gone down considerably over the past few seasons as NIL money has kept good second-round prospects out of the draft. 

This is a good first step to dig the Suns out of the hole that they created by trading for Durant and Bradley Beal in the first place. It will be a long process that will require patience.

Suns trade grade: B-