This Could Be the Last Blockbuster Trade of Kevin Durant’s Career
For the fourth time in his illustrious basketball career, Kevin Durant has shocked the world with a seismic move.
The first time it happened, Durant had front offices shaking when he joined the Splash Brothers in Golden State. Two NBA titles later, he formed a much-hyped alliance with Kyrie Irving and James Harden in the Big Apple. Then, after the Brooklyn Big Three failed to pan out, KD once again made headlines by rocking The Valley to its core.
Now that the Phoenix experiment has come to a close, here we are—quivering with excitement as Durant moves to an ascending Houston Rockets squad. The thing is, I sense something different about this movement. A premonition in the earth, if you will.
This could be the last blockbuster trade of Kevin Durant’s career.
I find it funny that KD’s move to H-Town was reported on the same day of the NBA Finals’ epic conclusion. Get this: The Durant news was broken just hours before the 20th Game 7 in the 79-year history of the NBA Finals. In the basketball cosmos, this is the equivalent of two rarely seen celestial objects shining brightly on the same summer night.
The best thing to do when a historic event happens is to savor it, so let’s do just that. What Durant brings to the table right now is exactly what the Rockets need: a clear number one option on offense who can pick opponents apart from midrange and beyond the arc.
While Houston gave up some promising athleticism (Jalen Green), perimeter defense (Dillon Brooks), and a stash of second-round picks in this deal, their trade-off is a generational talent whose proficient scoring helps them transition from “Let them cook for a few years” to “Eat this Texas-sized steak now.”
I could go on and on about the impact of the Durant trade on the rest of the league next season. However, I can’t help but look even further into the future.
This September, Durant celebrates his 37th birthday just weeks before entering year 19 in the league. Assuming that he’ll sign an extension with Houston, how much longer will he be a bona fide impact player that can significantly boost a team’s title aspirations? His fellow Olympian LeBron James has shown us what greatness looks like at age 40, but can Durant pull off that kind of longevity?
Think back to Durant’s OKC roots in the early 2010s and remember the two dudes that he played with. In their own right, Russell Westbrook and James Harden have seized headlines with their blockbuster moves over the years. But think about this: When was the last time that our jaws dropped at a trade involving Brodie or The Beard?
If we’re being honest, we didn’t feel significant tremors when Westbrook was dealt to the Clippers or the Nuggets, or even when Harden made his way to Tinseltown. I shudder to think of a scenario when a Durant deal feels devalued, but the thing is, we’re getting closer and closer to a time when KD becomes just another trade chip.
What’s the word I’m looking for? Oh right—journeyman. Heaven forbid.
Of course, the stars could align and Durant might be fortunate enough to find himself on another superteam in the final chapter of his career. Now that would make headlines without question. The thing is, how likely is it that Durant will land in the same destination as LeBron James or Stephen Curry over the next few years? While NBA insider Kevin O’Connor claims that the Rockets still have enough assets to get another key piece for next season, I doubt that Houston would sacrifice their entire future to pair Durant with, say, a Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In other words, the days of extremely loaded teams going on a cake walk to the championship summit are a thing of the past. Shortly after news of the Houston-Phoenix deal took the internet by storm, Durant’s old team went on to win Game 7 of the NBA Finals with two All-Stars under the age of 27 and a supporting cast of mostly unproven, wide-eyed youngsters.
And where was KD while all this was happening? He found out that he’d been traded to Houston while he was attending a sports and collectibles convention in New York City. I guess you have more time to do stuff like that when you’re two months deep into your offseason.
I jest, but I truthfully have the utmost respect for this first-ballot Hall of Famer. And I fear the day that a Kevin Durant trade will no longer be seismic.
