A frenetic night around the NBA didn’t stop with the Knicks’ Mikal Bridges blockbuster.
The Brooklyn Nets sent the Houston Rockets their 2026 first-round pick in exchange for a 2027 first-rounder belonging to the Phoenix Suns, and Houston could also swap its 2025 first with Phoenix’s.
The draft capital exchange was made as part of Houston’s effort to land superstar forward Kevin Durant, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“That becomes far easier if they [the Rockets] can return the Suns’ picks that they gave up in the Durant deal to the Nets,” the insider explained.
The Rockets, though, may have to decide if they want to wait a year before making a splash as Wojnarowski noted that the Suns have been steadfast in wanting to make another run with Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
Phoenix’s Big 3 flopped a season ago, getting swept by the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs and then firing head coach Frank Vogel, replacing him with former Bucks guide Mike Budenholzer.
The salaries of those players will make it challenging for the Suns to make significant roster changes this offseason.
The 35-year-old Durant has been an All-Star in 14 of the last 15 years, posting at least 25.1 points per game in that span and leading the league in scoring four times.
Meanwhile, Houston went 41-41 last season, narrowly missing the Play-In Tournament and is loaded with draft picks and young assets to deal.
With a strong young nucleus of Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. — not to mention whomever Houston selects at No. 3 overall in Wednesday’s draft — plus standout veteran Fred VanVleet, the team could make waves in the West if it lands a big fish like Durant.
The news linking Durant to the Rockets was a subplot to the larger narrative around basketball, involving the Brooklyn Nets sending forward Mikal Bridges to the crosstown Knicks in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic and considerable draft capital, including four unprotected first-round picks.
With the NBA offseason having just begun, it’s clear that there will be no shortage of storylines to monitor throughout the rest of the summer — including if Durant winds up in Houston.
