Kevin Durant Trade: Moving into Rockets' Division?

The Houston Rockets have had their struggles with Kevin Durant in the past, and the future Hall-of-Famer could end up playing in the southwest division following his trade request.

HOUSTON — Kevin Durant's departure from the Brooklyn Nets will impact the Houston Rockets in a variety of ways. 

Durant's jettison from the Nets could send Brooklyn into basketball purgatory. And with Houston owning a handful of the Nets' draft picks due to the James Harden trade, Brooklyn's fall from championship contention will work in favor of the Rockets. 

But depending on where Durant lands, there could be a negative impact for the Rockets, as the latest rumor has the one-time league MVP winner joining one of Houston's division rivals.

According to The Athletic, the Memphis Grizzlies have become the latest team to enter the Durant sweepstakes as his trade request continues to loom. Should the Grizzlies land Durant, Memphis will create one of the league's best dynamic duos by pairing the future Hall-of-Famer next to their All-Star point guard, Ja Morant. 

Per the report, Memphis has five first-round picks to utilize in a potential trade for Durant but will not include Jaren Jackson Jr. or Desmond Bane in the deal. 

A Durant-Morant Grizzlies team could dominate the southwest division for the next few years, which could be problematic amidst the Rockets' rebuilding project. 

Without Durant, the Grizzlies advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals after going 56-26 during the 2021-22 campaign. Despite a 123-112 defeat to Houston on March 6, the Grizzlies won their annual four-game regular season series 3-1 against the Rockets last season. 

The New Orleans Pelicans are another southwest division team that has showcased their interest in trading for Durant. The Rockets lost their four-game regular season series against the Pelicans 3-1 without New Orleans All-Star forward, Zion Williamson.

Durant has been a thorn in the Rockets' side since he entered the league in 2007 as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He has averaged 26.3 points in 39 career games played against the Rockets and contributed to the Golden State Warriors' dominance over Houston in 2018 and 2019.

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