The Kevin Durant Trade Was Crazier Than We Thought

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Kevin Durant is going to Houston and the actual trade wasn't what we expected. This is a look at the deal and what it means for both teams plus the legacy of KD.

Transcript

00:00The final Woj bomb of all time, just before he retired, said Houston wants to trade for Kevin Durant.

00:06What? No wonder he retired. That is crazy.

00:08First of all, Rockets got a young core. KD is like a basketball dinosaur.

00:12And also, did they learn nothing from the Suns?

00:15Durant is not going to lift your franchise to a championship anymore.

00:19But Woj was right.

00:21The Rockets get Kevin Durant for Jalen Green, Dylan Brooks, the number 10 pick, and five second round picks.

00:26But, uh, wow, that is cheap.

00:29Yeah, the Suns got number 10 back, but Houston kept by four of the most valuable Suns picks in 2027 and 29.

00:35This changes everything.

00:37I know one guy who loves it is Kevin Durant.

00:39Look at him and his agent's reaction when they thought nobody was watching.

00:43So how did this happen?

00:44Well, as hard as it is to believe because of all these rumors lately, KD was basically untouchable just a few months ago.

00:52The Suns had been trying to trade Bradley Beal for Jimmy Butler.

00:54But then out of nowhere, they went behind KD's back and tried to deal him to Golden State.

00:59But once Durant got wind of that, he shut it down.

01:02And dude tried to be like, oh, it just wasn't the right time.

01:05But we all know he just didn't want to play with Draymond Green again.

01:08But then he was officially on the trade market.

01:10So why did Phoenix even want to get rid of KD?

01:13Is he causing trouble in the locker room?

01:15Was he a diva?

01:16No.

01:17It's because their owner's bad decisions forced them into some big move.

01:21And Durant was the only player with value that they were willing to trade.

01:25Like when Matt Ishbia bought the Suns, he immediately wanted to make a big splash.

01:29So they dealt Mikkel Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jay Crowder, and control of five first round picks for Kevin Durant.

01:37My goodness.

01:38What a horrible decision.

01:40And reports said it was the new owner who forced them to trade that much.

01:45Then he goes and gets Bradley Beal with an O-Trade clause.

01:49And before you know it, they're as completely screwed as an organization can get.

01:54They go from NBA Finals in 2021 and then second round.

01:58Get KD losing the second round again.

01:59Get Bradley Beal and swept in the first round.

02:03It's like the more all-stars they get on their team, the worse they actually get.

02:06Oh, but last season, the most expensive team of all time, and they missed the playoffs.

02:13This team is so screwed.

02:16But that's a whole other video.

02:17I mean, they got none of their own picks back in this trade.

02:20When Houston had their picks, what a horrible return.

02:24And we will see why it took so little to get KD in a second.

02:28But one big reason was KD had control of where he ended up, right?

02:32This wasn't a Blazers dealing dame situation where they got to take the best offer.

02:36Because Durant only had one year left on his contract.

02:39So when the Timberwolves, for example, stepped up, KD said, no, sorry, I'm not going there.

02:44So a report said that Anthony Edwards loved KD.

02:47And they were willing to trade either Rudy Gobert or Julius Randle.

02:51Plus Dante DiVincenzo, Rob Dillingham, and the number 17 pick.

02:55But Durant shut it down.

02:56And you are not going to trade all of that stuff for one year of Kevin Durant when he

03:01is telling you, I will not re-sign.

03:03So his final wish list was the Spurs Rockets and the Miami Heat.

03:07Now one report said that KD preferred San Antonio with Wemby.

03:11But the Spurs didn't bite.

03:12Why?

03:13Plugged in reporter Don Harris says, San Antonio did not believe KD was enough.

03:18Wemby is just 21 years old.

03:20And NBA Players Prime is 25 to 32.

03:23So if KD wasn't going to win them a chip in the next three years, then what's the point?

03:29You're just going to spend all these valuable assets for a guy who gets you to the second

03:32round.

03:33So they were out.

03:34And what about Miami?

03:35They just lost Jimmy Butler.

03:36They need a star.

03:38Well, Shams reports, they refused to include anything.

03:42I mean, they said no to Jaime Jaquez, Nikola Jovic, Awood Highsmith, the number 20 pick,

03:49or any other draft assets.

03:50What do they expect to trade for KD, Dwayne Wade's ugly statue?

03:55I mean, these NBA teams do not value KD as an elite NBA player anymore.

04:01But are they right?

04:02Can Durant make Houston a legit contender in the West?

04:06Well, let's look at what kind of player Kevin Durant even is at 37 years old.

04:11This year, he scored 27 points per game, right on his career average.

04:16He had just one rebound, fewer than normal, same assists.

04:18But even more efficient, five years after an Achilles tear.

04:24What are these NBA teams thinking?

04:26Well, his age is actually showing in two key areas.

04:29And you can't see it in those numbers.

04:31But his defense isn't close to what it used to be.

04:34And he doesn't get to the basket much anymore.

04:37And that might not sound like a big deal.

04:39But it makes his game more one-dimensional.

04:42And it results in fewer free throws, which happen to come in handy late in big games.

04:48Still, the dude is one of the best shot makers to ever live.

04:51And it turns out that's exactly what the Rockets were missing.

04:55Houston just got the number two seed last year with a young core built around Alperin

05:00Shingun, Amin Thompson, and Fred Van Vliet running point.

05:03Their superpower in the regular season was defense.

05:06Houston was the number five defense in the NBA, but an average offense at number 12.

05:12So how is their brand of basketball going to be affected here?

05:15Well, Jalen Green is now a son.

05:17He's a former number two overall pick.

05:19But the kid just never developed a consistent offensive game.

05:23Like he could go off for 41 night and then have two or three games in single digits.

05:28I mean, Coach Ime Udoka, who's like a huge stickler for defense, used to bench Jalen Green

05:32for bad defense.

05:33And in the playoffs, when they needed him the most, he ghosted.

05:39Kid had 38 points in a game to win, but averaged nine points outside of that.

05:45And this is a dude on the floor for his offense.

05:49I mean, eight points in a game seven for a team that had James Harden for eight and a

05:54half years.

05:55They've seen that movie before.

05:57So Phoenix might tell themselves that they got a potential future all-star, but I'll believe

06:02it when I see it.

06:03Now, losing Dylan Brooks hurts because he was a decent three and D player, but the Rockets

06:08secret weapon was the Terror Twins.

06:10Amin Thompson and Tari Eason, they are still on the team and just entering their primes.

06:15So yes, on paper, this was actually a great move for the Rockets in terms of fit and what

06:21they sent out.

06:22They dealt two players who aren't even a part of their core.

06:25A bunch of seconds and the number 10 pick.

06:28They didn't even have to give sons their own picks back outside of number 10.

06:31Oh, and number 10 pick, they didn't even have minutes for the number three pick last year,

06:35Reed Shepard.

06:36So what were they going to do with the number 10 pick?

06:39Now, I was against them dealing major assets with Giannis potentially still out there, but

06:44this was not some big package.

06:46This was much less than anybody dreamed.

06:48So if another young star does become available down the line, Houston can still pounce.

06:53But I also kind of love this trade for Kevin Durant.

06:57I mean, not only is he tight with the coach, Ime Udoka, from their days in Brooklyn together,

07:01but the fit is almost perfect, right?

07:03Like KD is now surrounded by plus defenders and the ball is in his hands to close games

07:08unquestioned.

07:10There's not some young dude who's jealous on this team that he's not getting the last

07:14shot.

07:14Last season proved that.

07:16They needed a clutch shot maker.

07:19And yeah, you love Giannis' age and talent level, but one reason he wasn't a perfect

07:24fit was the Rockets shooting.

07:25They are one of the worst three-point teams in the league.

07:29Not a concern with KD, though.

07:30In fact, he's the solution.

07:33And as a number two, Alperin Shingun is no doubt now with Jalen Green out of the way.

07:37And we saw a big leap offensively from Amin Thompson last year.

07:41So if he's their number three on offense, I don't hate it.

07:44Now, my one nitpick is who is this team's leader?

07:48Because you need that for a championship.

07:50We know that's not KD's thing.

07:52But the answer is going to have to be coach Ime Udoka, which isn't normal in the NBA, but

07:58it can happen if the coach is the right guy.

08:01But I wouldn't be surprised if it is now.

08:03The Thunder, the Nuggets, and Houston battling for best in the West.

08:06But what does this mean for Giannis?

08:08I mean, we thought that Houston was all in on him, but maybe they got some intel that the

08:13Greek freak is staying in Milwaukee.

08:14So something really weird just happened with the Giannis trade, and I broke it all down

08:19right here.

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