Fantasy Sports

Kevin Durant Trade: Fantasy Basketball Winners and Losers

Alan Goldsher

Kevin Durant will soon be rocking the mic with the Rockets. Can he rock your fantasy roster?
Kevin Durant will soon be rocking the mic with the Rockets. Can he rock your fantasy roster? / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
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First off, I think we can all agree that the Phoenix Suns got fleeced.

Okay, in a vacuum, the haul they received in their deal with the Houston Rockets—a swap that netted them Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the tenth pick in Wednesday’s NBA Draft, and five second-round picks in exchange for future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant—wasn’t tragic.

But a canny negotiator—which Suns GM Brian Gregory clearly is not—would’ve gotten them another first-rounder rather than a cupboard of seconds. A canny negotiator would’ve gotten them the potential-laden 20-year-old Cam Whitmore instead of the one-dimensional 29-year-old Brooks. A canny negotiator would’ve gotten them some cash considerations.

Also, let’s rewind to the Memphis Grizzlies deal that shipped Desmond Bane to Orlando in exchange for a pair of legit rotation players—Cole Anthony and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope—and four unprotected firsts.

That’s a sick haul, and I'm gonna go out on a limb here and prognosticate that Bane won’t get 15 All-Star nods, Durant-style.

So in and out of any vacuum, the Rockets won this blockbuster. Big-time.

But how will this deal impact the world of fantasy hoops? Which Houston and Phoenix players will have a better shot at fake hoops glory, and whose stats will take a dive?

Who won and who lost?

Winner: Jalen Green

Last season, Green finished 10th overall in fantasy points, as per Fantasy Pros, ahead of fantasy darlings Jalen Brunson, LeBron James, and, yes, Kevin Durant.

He also wrapped up the 2024-25 season ranked seventh among point guards, and that was as part of an uber-balanced roster that included fantasy beast Alperen Sengun and a couple of solid options in Fred VanVleet and Amen Thompson.

On Phoenix, unless Bradley Beal rediscovers his Bradely Beal-ness, Green will be the clear second option on a team that doesn’t have a third. The fact that Devin Booker—who does and always will merit a ton of double-teams—is still a thing will give Green that much more space to operate.

I wouldn’t be at all shocked if, like last year, Booker and Green both have top-ten fantasy seasons. Maybe even top-nine.

Loser: Devin Booker

“But Alan,” you might be saying, “didn’t you just say that Booker could have a top-ten fantasy season?”

Yes. Yes, I did.

But last year, Book had a top-six fantasy season, yet Yahoo Sports' Dan Titus, in his way-too-early 2025-26 NBA fantasy rankings, lists the Kentucky alum as the 21st option—and that is definitely in his range of outcomes

Top-ten? Maybe. Top-six? Doubtful.

Winner: Tari Eason

Eason is one of the current Rockets who probably should be wearing a Phoenix uni, but, as noted, this Gregory guy ain't great at dealmaking, so the fourth-year man stays in Texas and—with Kevin Durant sucking up the defense and with Brooks out of the picture—should have a clearer path to both minutes and fantasy points.

So whatever you do, don’t leave the LSU product on the waiver wire.

Loser: Alperen Sengun

Last season, Sengun’s usage percentage came in at 26.1%, 28th highest in the Association. Durant landed at 28.7%, 11 places ahead of Sengun.

The native of Giresun, Turkey will still be a stellar fantasy option, but his touches will take a nosedive, and it would be a surprise if he matches last season’s finish as C6.

Winner: Dillon Brooks

During his two years in a Houston uni, the irritating combo forward was meh fantasy option, offering little more than barely-double-digits in points and a plus-80% free throw percentage.

In Phoenix, what with their less-than-impressive collection of wing players—Grayson Allen? Ryan Dunn? Royce O’Neal? Cody Martin?—the native of Ontario will be given more offensive responsibility, and could be a slick little late-round steal.

Loser: Kevin Durant

During his brief tenure in the Valley of the Sun, Durant’s primary frontcourt “competition” for fantasy digits was Jusuf Nurkic.

Note the quotation marks.

In Houston, the Slim Reaper will lose points and rebounds to Sengun, which is all fine and good in reality—Houston’s front court balance will be a problem out West—but in fantasyland, the situation will ding his value, and might even have him falling into the second or third round of your draft.

But if helps snag the Rockets a Larry O’Brien Trophy, do you think he’ll care?

Not even a little bit.

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Alan Goldsher
ALAN GOLDSHER

Alan Goldsher has written about sports for Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Apple, Playboy, NFL.com, and NBA.com, and he’s the creator of the Chicago Sports Stuff Substack. He’s the bestselling author of 15 books, and the founder/CEO of Gold Note Records. Alan lives in Chicago, where he writes, makes music, and consumes and creates way too much Bears content. You can visit him at http://www.AlanGoldsher.com and http://x.com/AlanGoldsher.

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