The Houston Rockets sent Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and the tenth overall pick to the Phoenix Suns for Kevin Durant, although they might not be as invested in him as initially thought.
When the Houston Rockets finally made a blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant, it was expected that the superstar would sign a two-year maximum extension and presumably end his career in Texas.
However, he is yet to sign such a deal, and the Rockets, smartly, seem committed to their young core of Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and Reed Sheppard.
If Durant were to sign a two-year deal, it could limit the amount of money the Rockets could offer Thompson and Sheppard when they are due for extensions of their own, so Houston is not expected to offer their prized offseason acquisition the maximum.
Even after adding a high-profile star, the Rockets seem committed to their young core and long-term success.
Durant is in the last year of a four-year, $194.2 million contract, and is eligible to sign a two-year extension worth up to $122.1 million. However, until he puts pen to paper, we have to operate under the assumption that he will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
If the Rockets were to offer him the max, the general consensus is that he would sign immediately with no second thoughts. However, even after sending the tenth pick (Khaman Maluach), Dillon Brooks, and Jalen Green to the Phoenix Suns, the Rockets are not interested in offering him $122.1 million.
“I don’t know that the Rockets are going to put anything on the table that’s close to the max,” said ESPN insider Tim MacMahon. “I think the Rockets are like, it’s not ideal, but I don’t think they would panic if they go into the season with Kevin Durant just on the contract that he’s on, just on the expiring deal.”
With Durant in town, the Rockets join the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder as the class of the Western Conference, and there is reason to believe that even if he leaves next summer, Sengun, Thompson, Sheppard, Smith Jr., Tari Eason, and Fred VanVleet can compete for a title into 2026, as well.
However, the Rockets and Durant might be on the same page, allowing the team to have both immediate and long-term success.
In a perfect world, at least for Durant, the Rockets would be quick to offer him as much money as possible. However, he fully understands that he is aging and that the Rockets don’t see him as a long-term piece.
Durant won two titles with the Golden State Warriors, but by forming the superteam to end all superteams, most fans don’t see those two rings as “legitimate.”
Even with his fair share of critics and detractors, a ring with the Rockets would only further cement his legacy as one of the best players ever.
Based on that, he might be willing to take a pay cut and play for less than the max, provided Houston makes a competitive offer.
“And by what I’ve heard, they’re not going all in on an extension for Kevin Durant,” reiterated MacMahon. “Doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but you know, there’ve been rumblings of, ‘Hey, he’s not going to push for the full max.’”
Between signing with the Warriors, pushing his way out to join the Nets, demanding a trade to the Suns, and then once again demanding a trade to get out of Phoenix, Durant has long come under fire for being a “cupcake,” although if he were to agree to take a pay cut to help a young team win a banner, it would be hard to disparage him at the end of his career.
