Stephen A. Smith has suggested the Houston Rockets bring Kevin Durant’s former star teammate to the team.
The Phoenix Suns decided to trade Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, 10th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and five second round picks.
There were four other teams that had also made inquiries about KD, but the Suns decided to go with the Rockets’ offer.
Miami Heat fans were not too pleased after learning what their franchise had offered for the two-time champion.
This means that Kevin Durant will play alongside the young duo of Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun next year.
However, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith has asked for the Rockets to pick up another exciting player after the KD trade.
SAS responded to the trade immediately with a positive reaction and also named the Rockets as one of the title contenders for the next season.
He followed that up with another tweet where Smith suggested that the Rockets bring KD’s former teammate Russell Westbrook to the team.
His tweet read: “Since Dillon Brooks is gone, how about going after Russell Westbrook ?? The man is still a warrior. Ain’t backing down from anyone.
“Can’t underestimate his toughness and dependability. Not saying it’s going to happen but wouldn’t mind seeing this for Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets at all. To hell with all the past nonsense. Let’s all move forward.”
Westbrook, who is a former MVP, played with the Denver Nuggets last season.
He declined his player option with the franchise and is a free agent, which is why Smith suggested that the Rockets to add him to their roster.
The Rockets have a talented roster and with KD also now available, they will be a force in the West.
But the point guard spot is where they might need to get more options.
Fred VanVleet is in the final year of his contract and an extension is going to be expensive to facilitate.
He certainly deserves it for his contribution, but even with that, they need another option who can come in as a backup to him.
Westbrook proved in his stint with the Nuggets that although he is not the same player KD was teammates with, there is still a lot of basketball left in him.
He made some big plays for the Nuggets and won a lot of praise from the coach and his teammates there.
The Rockets have a brilliant core, but adding a player like Westbrook would certainly add value to the team.
He puts maximum effort on every possession and coming off the bench, the level of energy he brings cannot be replicated.
Russ is also a great mentor and can help Reed Sheppard massively.
KD and Westbrook were one of the best duos during their time together with the OKC Thunder and although it has been almost a decade, it would be great to see them together again on a contending team.
With spots available on the roster and Westbrook’s contract also likely to be a veteran minimum, the Rockets could take a swing to bring the former MVP to Houston for a second stint.
