Suns' Kevin Durant: Trade to Rockets Coming?

The Phoenix Suns will be urged to make some big trades this offseason in order to turn things around with the roster.

One of the players that could be on his way out is Kevin Durant, as he will likely hit free agency in the summer of 2026 looking for a new team.

If Durant is going to leave Phoenix in a year's time anyway, it may be smart for the Suns to trade him now in order to get some value back for him.

Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale believes that the Houston Rockets could be interested in trading for Durant.

"Houston controls three of the Suns' next four first-rounders, making it a natural trade partner. Phoenix team governor Mat Ishbia can downplay the value of draft picks and rule out the possibility of dealing Devin Booker all he wants. There is still no overstating the value of reacquiring any part of your first-round future when you won't have ownership over it again until 2032. And that's assuming the Suns prevent their 2032 first-rounder from being moved to No. 30 as the result of staying in the second apron," Favale writes.

"The Rockets also have a bundle of intriguing youngsters and salary-matching tools they can use to construct packages. Jalen Green or Alperen Şengün can serve as the primary outgoing money, or Houston can streamline the process by picking up Fred VanVleet's $44.9 million team option and dangling him as an expiring deal. It doesn't hurt that Durant and head coach Ime Udoka seem to heart each other AAF, either.

"Whether the Rockets actually enter the fray likely depends on their playoff run. They are firmly entrenched in the bottom 10 of half-court offensive efficiency, a source of potential undoing Durant more than addresses. But they immediately tumble down this list if they win two (or even one) postseason series and/or prefer to hold their powder for a Booker trade."

The Rockets are currently the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, so they have a chance to make a deep run in the playoffs. If they don't perform up to those standards and make it to the Conference Finals, a trade for Durant could be something they end up exploring to try and improve their team.

The Suns can get a haul back from the Rockets, and it will allow the team to re-shape itself over the next few years.