Rockets interested in trading for Kevin Durant after deal with Nets, report says

The Houston Rockets reached a pick-centric deal with the Brooklyn Nets on the eve of the NBA draft, forcing Houston to make subsequent trades for a bigger star.

Among the options the Rockets are pursuing is Phoenix Suns star forward Kevin Durant, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Houston’s deal with Brooklyn on Tuesday night came after the Nets traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for a slew of first-round picks (unprotected first four in 2025, ’27, ’29, ’31 and a protected pick in 2025 from the Milwaukee Bucks), a swap of picks in 2028 and a second-round pick in 2025. Brooklyn then pivoted to a subsequent deal with Houston, which would have returned the Nets’ 2026 first-round pick to Brooklyn in trading a first-round pick from the Suns in 2027, according to Wojnarowski. The Nets originally sent this pick to the Rockets to acquire All-Star guard James Harden during the 2020-2021 season.

But the madness didn’t stop there. Wojnarowski went on to point out that Houston had an incentive to use the newly acquired pick to go after Durant and would have an easier time doing so by dangling Phoenix’s pick in front of them.

The ESPN insider quickly qualified his report, sharing that the Suns still preferred to keep Durant and move forward with the currently constructed core. As a result, Houston could look to pursue another star around the league, whether this offseason or before the next trade deadline. According to Wojnarowski, Durant’s Suns teammate Devin Booker is another player the Rockets have their eyes on.

At least one thing was clear in the report: The Rockets are ready to make a splash.

Houston took a major step forward in the 2023-24 season, finishing 41-41 and in 11th place in the West, just outside of a spot in the play-in tournament. The improvement came after three straight losing seasons, all since the Harden trade, in which the team never won more than 22 games.

Now armed with a collection of compelling and valuable draft picks, the Rockets appear ready to embark on the big-game hunt as the NBA offseason shifts into full gear.