Blockbuster of the Century: 14 Player, 4 Team Trade Sends Kevin Durant to Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets have been linked to several Kevin Durant trade rumors over the past few months, but there may not be a proposed deal as wacky as this one.
Bleacher Report writer Eric Pincus built a four-team, 14-player deal that forces the Rockets to send out Jae’Sean Tate and Jeff Green to the San Antonio Spurs, Jock Landale to the Charlotte Hornets and Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard, Cam Whitmore and Aaron Holiday to the Phoenix Suns while Durant comes to Houston.
“The Rockets are trying to win, and while Durant will turn 37 before next season, he’s still one of the league’s most lethal scorers. Put him on a team with rugged defenders, complementary scorers and athletes like Houston, and he’ll shine in ways that he can’t in Phoenix,” Pincus writes.
“The price may seem high based on the number of names leaving Houston, but most are there for salary purposes (Holiday, Landale, Tate and Green). The prized players given up are Sheppard and Whitmore, but the former may not get the court time he needs to develop on a team that’s striving to win now. While Whitmore is talented, Durant would be a sizable upgrade.”
In the deal, the Spurs also get Devin Booker, which explains the drama of the deal, but for the Rockets, they get one year of Durant, so it’s hard to see the team give up that much for a short-term investment.
Durant is an amazing player, and he would elevate Houston’s ceiling, but the price may not be right.
