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Why Kevin Durant trade rumors just don’t make sense

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The NBA rumor mill never stops, and the latest smoke concerns one of the purest scorers of this generation.

Year One of Kevin Durant on the Houston Rockets proved to be “frustrating and disappointing,” in the words of general manager Rafael Stone. Houston won 52 games, but was bounced in the first round of the postseason, after injuries took their toll.

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That has led to Durant, who will turn 38 in late September, to pop up on the rumor mill as a potential trade candidate. This, however, should be taken merely as the work of high speculation from the corners of NBA message boards.

For the Rockets, this entire offseason was essentially the anticipation of the return of point guard Fred VanVleet, who missed the entire 2025-26 campaign with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

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Point guard was the biggest weakness for the Rockets, and competent play at the position should take considerable pressure off of Durant to be the one to create offense. Houston tried several different options at point guard. From Amen Thompson in the regular season opener against the Thunder, to Reed Sheppard later in the year, Houston could not find a consistent facilitator.

That led to Durant playing on ball more than coach Ime Udoka wanted, and it also led to frequent offensive stagnation.

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The reality is the Rockets can still field an interesting and competitive team this season, so there simply is no incentive to bail on Durant — at least not yet.

Houston will also return backup center Steven Adams, and Durant himself missed five of Houston’s six games in that first-round series loss against the Lakers.

“We think the players in our locker room can win a lot of games and can be very competitive,” Stone said in May. “We have players coming back from injury; they will help us. If we bring back, largely, the same group, I think continuity will help us.”

All this to say: don’t expect the Rockets to move Durant.

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No major outlet or NBA insider has reported anything about Durant being on the trading block. The only reason his name has come up in the rumor mill is because fans have conjured highly speculative potential trades involving him, most of which — frankly — make no sense at all.

Durant has one more season left on his contract and also has a player option worth $46.1 million for 2027-28. He averaged 26 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game across 78 appearances last season. He is still a steady scoring threat, though it’s clear he needs more help and facilitation at this stage of his career.

VanVleet should stabilize play-making and should get even more out of Durant. Houston still needs Thompson, Sheppard and forwards Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason to develop further. Center Alperen Şengün has to continue playing within the system.

Apr 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) looks on from the court in the second half of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.

Apr 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) looks on from the court in the second half of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.

But the Rockets did not ship all those assets (Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, the 2025 No. 10 overall pick and five second-round selections) to simply pull the plug on Durant after one injury-riddled season.

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Now, should Houston’s season absolutely implode and should it become clear that this roster is not in position to compete, the Rockets may then consider moving Durant before the February trading deadline to recoup assets. But if this hypothetical goes down, it’s likely because Durant is either injured or has drastically underperformed, either of which would lower his value, anyway.

And though he’s in the sunset of his career, Durant has been far too consistent for that to feasibly be an option.

It’s always a challenge to incorporate an elite star into a new system. Often, it takes time for these new teammates to jell. That’s only magnified when key injuries rob a team of its identity.

This is the time of the year when hoops fans are starved for any news or juicy trade scenarios. Treat anything you see about Durant as just that.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Kevin Durant trade rumors just don’t make sense

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