The Houston Rockets struck a pick-centric deal with the Brooklyn Nets on the eve of the NBA draft in a move that loads Houston up to make subsequent trades for a bigger star.
Among the options that the Rockets are pursuing is Phoenix Suns star forward Kevin Durant, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Houston's deal with Brooklyn on Tuesday night came after the Nets shuttled Mikal Bridges off to the New York Knicks for a slew of first-round picks (four unprotected firsts in 2025, '27, '29, '31 and a 2025 protected pick from the Milwaukee Bucks), a 2028 pick swap and a 2025 second-round pick. Brooklyn then pivoted to a subsequent deal with Houston, who reportedly returned the Nets’ 2026 first-round pick to Brooklyn in exchange for a 2027 Suns first-round pick, according to Wojnarowski. The Nets originally sent that pick to the Rockets to acquire All-Star guard James Harden during the 2020–21 season.
But the madness didn't stop there. Wojnarowski continued, reporting that Houston had interest in using the newly acquired pick to go after Durant and would have an easier time in doing so by dangling Phoenix's own pick in front of them.
The ESPN insider quickly qualified his report, sharing that the Suns still preferred to keep Durant and move forward with the currently constructed core. As a result, Houston may look to pursue a different star around the league.
But one thing was clear in the report: The Rockets are ready to make a splash.
Houston took a major step forward during the 2023–24 season, finishing 41–41 and in 11th place in the West—just outside of a spot in the play-in tournament. The improvement came after three consecutive losing seasons—all since the Harden trade—in which the team never won more than 22 games.
Now loaded with a collection of compelling and valuable draft picks, the Rockets appear ready to go big-game hunting as the NBA's offseason kicks into full gear.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Report: Rockets Interested in Trading for Kevin Durant After Picks Deal With Nets.