Kevin Durant’s interest in Rockets appears to be one-sided

Kevin Durant’s interest in Rockets appears to be one-sided

Coming off a 52-win season, where they finished as the No. 2 seed in a loaded West, the Houston Rockets suffered a disappointing end to their season at the hand of the Golden State Warriors, getting bounced in the first round in seven hypercompetitive contests.

Houston was inexperienced relative to most of the teams they were competing against, but now they appear ready to take the next step and grow into a perennial title contender.

Part of that next step appears via trade, adding more shotmaking to a group that was devoid of consistent halfcourt offense during the regular season. One of the players widely speculated to be on the trade market is 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant, who’s reportedly “very interested” in playing with the Rockets.

However, his interest appears to be one-sided.

“While Durant is widely seen as the most attainable of that group, and he is known to be very interested in playing in Houston, team sources said the Rockets still have significant reservations about that possible partnership, in large part, because Durant’s age (36) would be so out of sync with their younger timeline,” Kelly Iko and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported Monday. “It’s worth noting that previous talks between the teams about Durant, team sources said, were initiated by the Suns.”

I am a strong believer that Houston should at least consider Durant. But if they don’t believe he fits their timeline, that’s completely understandable.

He averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game on 52.7 percent shooting, including 43.0 percent from 3-point range and 83.9 percent from the free-throw line in 62 games. I think he’s slightly worse defensively than he used to be, but I also don’t think he was in the right context.

It’s worth noting that Durant will be entering his age-37 season, which will be a risk for any team taking on his $54.7 million contract to consider–especially if the team that acquires him decides to extend him. Father time is undefeated, and if you want to build a sustainable contender, acquiring Durant may not be the best plan.

Iko and Amick mention that Houston had previous interest in Suns star Devin Booker, better aligning with the team’s timeline. But it’s expected that Phoenix will keep him in the building as long as it can, leaving Durant as the lone man out with Bradley Beal‘s untradable contract.

5 possible Giannis Antetokounmpo trade destinations if he asks out

I would not be surprised if the Rockets are in the Giannis Antetokounmpo business, even if that price may be exorbitant. Assuming they don’t land the two-time MVP, I wonder if they circle back to Durant, who will be at a much cheaper price, or target another star in their prime, if one becomes available.

Nevertheless, I expect Rafael Stone and the Rockets’ brass to strike when the iron’s hot this offseason–or at least add enough quality depth to better position themselves for a title heading into next season with their rising young core.

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