Our initial Rockets trade grades on massive KD to Rockets deal before NBA Finals

The Houston Rockets have got their superstar. They won the Kevin Durant trade sweepstakes and landed the 2-time NBA champion in a huge deal with the Phoenix Suns.

Phoenix Suns trade: Kevin Durant

Upon initial reaction, this seems like a decent deal for both sides. The Rockets get their superstar without having to give up too much draft capital or their two best young players. The Suns get a budding young star, a solid veteran, and some draft capital. 

The Rockets were able to land Durant without giving up their best draft assets or best young players. That’s a win. 

Jalen Green is a polarizing player. Some believe he is destined for stardom, while others think he is too inconsistent on both ends of the floor ever to be elite. Whatever Green becomes will probably determine who won this trade. 

Additionally, losing Dillon Brooks will definitely hurt. He was part of their identity as a tough, defensively dominant team. 

Still, the Rockets are getting a Hall-of-Fame level closer to add to their young core. They kept most of the integral pieces of their second seed from last season. 

The biggest part of this trade is that Houston didn’t even have to give up the unprotected Phoenix Suns draft picks they already own! That alone makes this trade a huge success. The 10th pick in this year’s draft won’t help them compete much right now, and they still have a load of draft picks to make more moves. 

Because Green hasn’t established himself as a reliable star, and Houston got to keep their best draft assets, our Rockets trade grade is a B+. 

The only reason this grade isn’t higher is that Durant hasn’t actually been able to lead a team to an NBA championship without Stephen Curry by his side. He is still a bona fide superstar, but he is getting older and hasn’t won many playoff series since leaving Golden State. 

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If this trend continues with Durant, the Rockets may have been better off letting their young core grow naturally.

More NBA: Warriors predicted to land this NBA champion, after players' most recent comments