Category: NBA

On the day that two teams who were patient and calculating in building their cores to the level where they would face off in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, the Houston Rockets went all-in on accelerating their timeline.

After weeks of negotiations, Phoenix has agreed to trade Durant to Houston, giving it the needed scorer in its half-court offense that was clearly lacking in their first-round exit at the hands of the Warriors. The Suns got back a couple of quality players and a first-round pick — not near what they traded away to get Durant, but not a bad haul in return, considering the market.

Who won and who lost in all this? Let's break it down, starting with the details of the trade itself (which can't officially be completed until July 6 because of Jalen Green's extension):

Houston receives: Kevin Durant
Phoenix receives: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, five second-round picks

Winner: Kevin Durant

How much Durant was planning an exit from Phoenix before the Suns started dangling him at the trade deadline (and almost trading him to the Warriors) is up for debate, but after that there was no question what was going to happen this summer.

What Durant wanted was to control the process. He wanted to get to a team that would offer him a two-year contract extension north of $100 million, and where he could contend.

Check and check.

Durant fills a specific need for the Rockets as a half-court scorer (more below on that), and the Rockets are expected to pony up and pay the man.

Just a reminder that in the NBA, the biggest stars almost always get what they want.

Winner: Houston Rockets

Houston knew what it needed to contend now.

The Rockets were the 52-win No. 2 seed in the West last season, a team built on a quality young, athletic core playing pressure defense — just like the two teams playing in the Finals — but they lacked scoring punch in the half court (Houston was 22nd in the league in half court offense). During the regular season they covered this up with defense, transition opportunities, and offensive rebounds from Steven Adams (who just got his contract extended). However, in the playoffs against an experienced and talented Warriors team, the Rockets were forced to play in the half court and couldn't score enough to win.

Kevin Durant improves the Rockets' half-court offense immensely. The man may be 37 next season, but he is still a walking bucket who averaged 26.6 points a game last season and shot 43% from beyond the arc.

Having to trade away Brooks dings the Rockets' defense a little, and now more falls on the shoulders of Amen Thompson defensively. Still, it should not be a dramatic drop-off. Additionally, the fact that the Rockets held onto young players with potential, such as Reed Sheppard and Cam Whitmore, is a win.

However, there is risk here for the Rockets, particularly in the long term. The two teams playing in Game 7 of the NBA Finals chose to be patient with their depth, letting it grow and coalesce, rather than making the kind of trade that would rapidly accelerate their timeline (trades for Pascal Siakam or Alex Caruso were about filling in gaps, not bringing in a superstar). Houston went the opposite direction — was this at the urging of owner Tilman Fertitta? — and if Durant is healthy and meshes, then this move looks brilliant. If injuries, age or other issues lead to a bumpy road, then Houston has pushed all in and not won the hand.

There are some hard financial decisions ahead for this team after they extend Durant, especially once Thompson's second contract kicks in for the 2027-28 season. However, those are problems the Rockets can worry about later. Right now, they can focus on winning a ring.

Loser: Game 7 of the NBA Finals

One of Adam Silver's missions has been to refocus the NBA on the court, rather than on the transaction wire. The reason is obvious: The league knows how to monetize games, it makes nothing from a social media debate about a trade.

The Durant trade was the biggest sports news of the day and dominated the discussion of what should be a thrilling Game 7, focusing the sports world on Durant and his fit in Phoenix.

There will still be plenty of talk about the game, but I guarantee you this: The story you are reading now will draw far more eyeballs than the stories later tonight out of Game 7, regardless of what happens.

What can the NBA do about this? Nothing, really. The league could put a moratorium on moves before the Finals end, but teams will already be talking anyway (this trade can't be finalized until July 6 and we're talking about it). The league could try to space out the time between the Finals and the NBA draft, but that would mean either going deeper into the summer for teams (pushing back events like Summer League) or reducing the number of regular-season games, which is a dead-on-arrival discussion right now.

Just don't think the league is happy about the timing of this trade.

Winner (relatively): Phoenix Suns

Listening to Phoenix owner Mat Ishbia speak, there was legitimate concern that the Suns might try to trade Durant for other win-now players rather than taking a step back, retooling the roster, and thinking longer term. This trade was a longer-term move, acquiring a young player in Green and the No. 10 pick, as well as all those future second-round picks.

This was not the haul the Suns had to give up to get Durant (Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and four first-round picks), but considering KD's current market, this was as good as they were going to do. This is a win for the Suns, but more of a solid double in the gap than a home run.

There is still a lot of roster work to do in Phoenix: Booker, Beal, Green, Brooks, and Grayson Allen are all 2/3 wings, now a crowded position in Phoenix. There are more trades and roster tweaks to come. But this deal was about as good as they were going to do.

Loser: Miami Heat

Miami isn't much of a loser here. Today, they stand exactly where they did yesterday, still at a crossroads with a roster that is neither good enough to contend nor bad enough to tank.

The fact that they are still standing at that crossroads is why they slip slightly into the loser category — but if I were standing in Pat Riley's Italian loafers, I would have made the same call. The reported sticking point in talks was the inclusion of promising young center Kel'el Ware — the Rockets wanted him, the Heat would not give him up. While it's easy to question not giving up a rookie who played 22 minutes a night for Kevin "freakin" Durant, the reality is that's trading a promising 21-year-old for a 37-year-old with an injury history is bad business. Miami rightfully thought that wasn't worth the risk.

Still, without Durant, the question remains in Miami: What's the plan?

Hours before the final game of the 2024-25 season, the Houston Rockets reportedly made a move that will significantly impact the NBA landscape. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Rockets acquired Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the tenth overall pick in the 2025 draft and five future second-round picks.

Due to Green's contract, the deal will not become official until July 6, according to Spotrac’s Keith Smith.

Along with Miami and San Antonio, Houston was on Durant's reported list of preferred destinations. According to Charania, the Suns were engaged in talks with the Rockets and Heat before taking the package offered by the former. The Rockets add one of the NBA's all-time scoring greats after finishing second in the Western Conference during the regular season, while the Suns add draft capital but have a logjam to address on the perimeter. Let's look at the potential fantasy impact of this deal.

Houston receives:

Kevin Durant

Durant is ranked eighth on the NBA's all-time scoring list, so there should be little to no doubt of what he'll provide Houston on that end of the floor. In 62 appearances this season, he averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.2 blocks and 2.6 three-pointers, shooting 52.7 percent from the field, 43.0 percent from three and 83.9 percent from the foul line. For a team with offensive efficiency issues in Houston, Durant has the potential to be just what the doctor ordered.

However, his two full seasons in Phoenix were the last in which he played at least 60 games since playing in 78 games for the Warriors during the 2018-19 campaign. And with Durant set to turn 37 in late September, durability could be a concern. That said, Durant's résumé makes him worth the risk for a team that was middle of the pack in points per game and offensive rating during the regular season. The Rockets' efficiency was boosted by the team's ability to hit the offensive glass; Houston ranked 27th in two-point field goal percentage and 21st in three-point and overall field goal percentage.

While he and Green did not play the same position, Houston's decision to move two perimeter players in this trade likely makes it more vital that they re-sign Fred VanVleet. The Rockets hold a team option worth $44.9 million on VanVleet for 2025-26, and they have until June 29 to make a decision. It has been reported that both sides are interested in maintaining the partnership; the question is what the financial terms will look like, especially if Houston declines the option in hopes of negotiating a deal for a lower annual salary.

The departures of Green and Brooks should free up additional opportunities for Amen Thompson and Tari Eason, which would be music to the ears of fantasy managers. Thompson was excellent as a starter last season, eventually pushing Jabari Smith Jr. to the bench, while Eason has been valuable when healthy enough to play. Hopefully, the left leg injury that has limited him during his first two seasons will not be an issue for Eason in 2025-26. If fully healthy, he can be a solid contributor in standard fantasy leagues.

Phoenix receives:

Jalen Green

Dillon Brooks

2025 first-round pick (10th overall)

Five future second-round picks

After hiring Jordan Ott to be the team's head coach, new Suns general manager Brian Gregory has made his first major decision regarding the roster. Once the Suns attempted to move Durant ahead of the February trade deadline, it was clear that his long-term future was not in Phoenix. Some may wonder if they could have gotten more in return for Durant, especially considering what Phoenix gave up to acquire him from the Nets a few years ago.

Phoenix did add two starters in Green and Brooks, but this causes a logjam on the perimeter. Bradley Beal, who holds a no-trade clause, remains on the roster, as does assumed cornerstone Devin Booker. A positive regarding Green is his durability, which has been an issue for Beal and Booker in recent years. Green has not missed a game since the 2022-23 season, and he played 76 during that campaign. In 2024-25, he accounted for 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.9 steals and 2.9 three-pointers per game, shooting 42.3 percent from the field and 81.3 percent from the foul line.

Green also shot a career-best 35.4 percent from three, but that percentage is not particularly impressive, especially when considering what the Suns lost in Durant. He should be a key cog for the Suns in 2025-26, but being part of a rotation that includes Beal and Booker may not be the best for Green's fantasy value, which has been low in category leagues. He should remain a superior option in points leagues, especially since he's been able to stay healthy.

As for Brooks, the veteran wing shot a career-best 39.7 percent from three in his lone season with the Rockets. Appearing in 75 games, he averaged 14.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 2.5 three-pointers per game, shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 81.8 percent from the foul line. Brooks was a player who proved more valuable to his team than to fantasy managers, which is unsurprising since that was also the case for him in Memphis. That should not change in Phoenix, which was among the worst defensive teams in the NBA this season.

Just as crucial for the Suns as the players was the draft capital acquired in Sunday's deal, most notably the tenth overall pick in next week's draft. In the trades made to acquire Durant and Beal, Phoenix gave up a lot of draft capital. While Sunday's total haul does not close the gap completely, regaining the 2025 first-round pick they surrendered in the Durant deal was a positive step. Of course, Phoenix will not have total control of its first-round pick again until 2032, so Gregory has his work cut out for himself.

On the day of Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, the Houston Rockets have thrust themselves into the center of the 2026 title discussion.

The Phoenix Suns are trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for a package of Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft (which is the Suns getting back their own pick), and five future second-round picks, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN.

Houston was one of Durant's preferred landing spots and he is expected to sign a two-year, $100+ million extension with them when eligible. The risk with that is Durant turns 37 before the start of next season and comes with an injury history.

For the Rockets, that is a risk worth taking — Durant is the guy they need. While Houston won 52 games this season and was the No. 2 seed in the West thanks to an impressive, athletic young core led by coach Ime Udoka, its loss in the first round to Golden State highlighted the lack of a finisher in the half court. The Rockets needed a go-to scorer who could go get a bucket in the clutch. They now have one of the greatest bucket-getters in NBA history, a guy who averaged 26.6 points a game last season while shooting 43% from beyond the arc, not just a four-time league scoring champion but also a two-time Finals MVP who knows how to perform on the biggest of stages and continues to do so.

The Rockets now have Durant starting alongside veteran Fred VanVleet at the point (likely to extend or re-sign with the team this summer), Amen Thompson on the wing, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun at center. The Rockets also still have Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore, Reed Shepard and others off the bench — plus a lot of future picks, meaning they may not be done trading.

The Rockets and Suns had been negotiating since their seasons ended, but the sides had been far apart on terms for a Durant trade, with the Rockets trying to center the trade around Jabari Parker Jr., while the Suns were hoping for core Rockets players such as Amen Thompson or Alperen Sengun. The sides ultimately made the trade about Green — the explosive but inefficient scorer who averaged 21 points per game last season, but with a .544 true shooting percentage that was below the league average. Green, 24 and entering his fifth NBA season, has plenty of possibilities for improvement.

For Phoenix, this was about as well as they were going to do in this trade market. They acquire a scorer who can play alongside Devin Booker and Bradley Beal in Green. More importantly, a team that lacked defense and grit has just gained a lot of both with Brooks. Then there is the No. 10 pick, which can go a number of different directions (or be traded again).

The most stunning part of this trade: That it happened the day of Game 7 of the NBA Finals, taking the spotlight off the court and putting it on the NBA's transaction cycle. That is not going to sit well in the league office.

INDIANAPOLIS — Game 7. The greatest two words in sports. The NBA has arrived here with what has been a wildly entertaining, balanced, and well-played NBA Finals. Fans will surround televisions and screens across the nation and the globe, tuning in to see whether the Oklahoma City Thunder or Indiana Pacers will be crowned NBA champions for the first time.

Those fans also will walk away from Game 7 with a vision of the future of the NBA.

"It's a new blueprint for the league, man," the Pacers' Myles Turner said after Indiana advanced to the Finals. "I think the years of the superteams and stacking, it's not as effective as it once was. Since I've been in the league, the NBA is very trendy. It just shifts. The new trend now is kind of what we're doing."

This has been a changing of the guard playoffs, which culminate on Sunday.

Part of that is a change in star power. There is no LeBron James or Stephen Curry returning to this stage, nor is there Kevin Durant or Giannis Antetokounmpo. Instead, it's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton establishing themselves as the future of the league. Those stars are at the forefront of a transition to a younger generation of stars that the NBA and its broadcast partners have been too slow to embrace, leaning into the safety of established brands. But it was 23-year-old Anthony Edwards and his Minnesota Timberwolves who eliminated Curry and LeBron from this year's playoffs, while the future of the league may be in San Antonio with 21-year-old Victor Wembanyama.

Depth, versatility and modern NBA rosters

However, the change is more than just the star players, it's how the rosters are built around them.

"It's two young teams. I feel like we're kind of showing the world it's different basketball now," Pacers big man Obi Toppin said. "It's about two teams just going out there, playing extremely hard, and everybody, including the guys on the bench, coming in here, and making an impact."

While the Pacers and Thunder certainly have stars — Gilgeous-Alexander is the league's MVP — the goal used in building these rosters was not simply to compile superstars and then hope the role players around them are good enough (think Philadelphia or Phoenix).

The Thunder and Pacers are not heliocentric teams, these are rosters specifically built to take advantage of the strengths of Haliburton and Gilgeous-Alexander, where they can serve as conductors of offenses where everyone eats. The goal is to have depth, balance, and identify versatile players who can effectively fit the system. The Pacers and Thunder assembled rosters with enough of those kinds of quality players that they can go all out when on the court — pressing on defense and playing at a high tempo — then be subbed out for fresh legs that will play just as hard. The trend is not to have two or three superstars and hope the rest of the roster can hold up, it's to have eight or nine or 10 versatile players good enough to play minutes in a Finals game, staying within their roles.

"The new trend now is just kind of what we're doing, OKC does the same thing," Turner said. "Young guys get out and run, defend and use the 'power of friendship,' is how they call it."

That's something else these teams have — great chemistry. The players get along. It's more collegial. These aren't "12 players, 12 cabs" kind of teams, these guys want to hang out. That will be the most difficult part for other teams to mimic.

The NBA is a copycat league, but in this case, the change in roster construction will be driven more by the league's punishing luxury tax aprons and associated penalties than by trying to follow the model of the latest champion. The league has attempted to flatten out the talent pool in the name of parity, which has increased the need for teams to establish an identity and build upon it.

It's not new: Denver did much the same thing, where they have a star in Nikola Jokic, but they built a team to take advantage of his otherworldly passing skills. It's why good players such as Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr., can look even better, because they are in a system that plays to their strengths.

The Thunder and Pacers built title contenders by drafting wisely, making clever trades — both Haliburton and SGA came to their teams via trades — but it's also always thinking about fit. Indiana trading for Pascal Siakam was not about getting the biggest name, but rather about finding the best fit for their roster. The same goes for scooping up Obi Toppin from the Knicks. This past summer, the Thunder had the cap space and trade assets to go after a big-name player; instead, they focused on landing Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. Fit mattered.

"When we traded for Tyrese, it was pretty clear that we needed to play with tempo," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "[President of Basketball Operations] Kevin Pritchard and [General Manager] Chad Buchanan have built a roster with guys that can run and defend around him.

"In today's game, roster construction seems to be changing. A lot of the best rosters now are built on balance, and that's certainly what we're trying to do. I think that's what Oklahoma is doing, too."

They are. And it's the way of the future, no matter who wins Game 7.

The images were all over social media: 7'3" Victor Wembanyama with a shaved head, wearing robes and running with monks at a Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, China.

Wembanyama opened up about the experience at the Fanatics Fest in New York on Sunday. Quotes via Larry Holder at The Athletic.

"It was a great experience," Wembanyama said. "My goal going there was putting my body through things that it's not used to doing and allowing my range of movement and strength. This was probably as very different as possible from what I'm used to doing."
So what did that look like?

"Kung fu. Everyday. It was like a vegan temple, monastery. … I was isolated," Wembanyama said,

He added that he had to sneak out and get some meat dishes to help him maintain the 245 pounds he has now reached.

This was a casual affair, where Wembanyama played chess against 100 people lined up (he won) and had a conversation in "The Shop" with Tom Brady, LeBron James, and others, during which he discussed his experience in China.

He did not discuss the blood clot in his shoulder issue, which prematurely ended last season for him, although he is expected to be recovered and ready for the start of training camp. The Spurs will have a full season with him, De'Aaron Fox at the point, rookie Dylan Harper (who they are expected to draft with the No. 2 pick next week) and a roster that can make some noise in the Western Conference.