Kevin Durant is set to join the Houston Rockets after a trade was agreed with the Phoenix Suns.
The Houston Rockets have traded for Kevin Durant, putting together a better offer than the Miami Heat could manage.
There was competition from across the league for Kevin Durant, a two-time champion with the Golden State Warriors.
Now he is looking to help the Houston Rockets win their first championships since they went back-to-back in 1994 and 1995.
Kevin Durant is one of the NBA’s greatest ever players, ranking seventh on the all-time scoring list.
Two years ago he overtook Hakeem Olajuwon, the Houston Rockets legend who ranks 16th all-time.
Olajuwon led the Rockets to their last NBA Championships in the mid-90s, and Durant admitted there was a sort of personal connection.
Durant told Yahoo in 2023, after passing Olajuwon: “My mom had a crush on Olajuwon when I was a kid, so that’s all I used to hear in the house. It wasn’t Jordan, it was Olajuwon in the house.
“And somebody she told me to study since a kid, and, you know. So really, I admire his game and his journey as a man and as a basketball player.
“So it’s always amazing to be up amongst the greats. So grateful.”
Hakeem Olajuwon spent almost his entire career with the Houston Rockets, from 1984 to 2001. He was traded to the Toronto Raptors, but retired the following season.
Kevin Durant is now set to play for his fifth different NBA franchise, and could create history by becoming the first player to be named All-NBA for five different teams.
This is an achievable goal, with the Rockets expected to be one of the most competitive teams in the NBA next season, building on their second placed finish in the Western Conference.
The reaction to the trade has been positive for the Rockets, while the Phoenix Suns get a chance to reset, gaining this year’s 10th overall pick in the draft, along with Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks.
