Kevin Durant’s first season with the Houston Rockets wasn’t ideal.
The former Phoenix Suns superstar forward joined Houston in the summer via a blockbuster trade, hoping to make a splash in Year 1. From an individual success vantage point, Durant did just that, averaging 26.0 points per contest while shooting 52.0% from the field and 41.3% from three.
Regarding team success, though, Durant came up short, as the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated the Rockets in the first round of the postseason. While there’s no guarantee that Durant’s stint with Houston will end after one season, there’s a legitimate possibility that he could at least get shopped around the league.
If he is, Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey believes the Rockets should attempt to acquire a Denver Nuggets NBA champion guard in return.
“For the Rockets, it’ll be tough to get many teams to surrender real draft assets for a soon-to-be-38-year-old who’s struggled to fit in on four different teams now, but the Nuggets may be desperate enough to do just that,” Bailey wrote Saturday.
“And by the time that pick swap conveys, Durant will likely be retired, and Jokic will be 36. That could turn into a great asset. This deal also gives Houston two solid, multipositional wings who would fit well with the other forwards in the Rockets’ core. (Cameron) Johnson obviously doesn’t provide the scoring volume Durant does, but he shot 43.0 percent from deep this season.”
“And while Christian Braun’s five-year, $125 million contract looks pretty onerous after his down year, he’s still just 25 years old and was one of the league’s most dangerous transition weapons in 2024-25.”
For clarity, Bailey’s trade proposal would send Durant to the Nuggets for Braun, Johnson, and a 2031 first-round pick swap. Injuries and subpar perimeter shooting caused him to step back with Denver this season.
Braun averaged 12.0 points per game on 51.9% field goal shooting and 30.1% three-point shooting in 44 regular-season contests. That said, the Kansas product is a valuable, explosive wing who’s already won a championship, which would allow the Rockets to remain competitive without Durant in the fold.
It remains to be seen if Houston will explore Andy’s blockbuster trade concept this summer.
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