T he trade discussions between the Houston Rockets and the Phoenix Suns took another turn.
Former No. 3 pick Jabari Smith Jr. has emerged as a potential headliner in the return package for Durant.
According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, the Suns have registered their interest in the underachieving high lottery pick after the Rockets have kept Alperen Şengün off the table.
“At one point, team sources say, Phoenix was determined to regain control of its draft capital (first-round picks in 2025, 2027 and swap rights in 2029) and at another, was seeking multiple young talents like Alperen Şengün and Jalen Green. Recently, forward Jabari Smith Jr.’s name has come up pertaining to the Suns’ interest, team and league sources say. Green, whose name has been connected to Durant and other stars in trade rumors, is determined to improve upon his playoff struggles and wants to stay in Houston, league sources say,” Iko wrote.
Rockets on the Wrong Side of History
Getty Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns is pressured by Fred VanVleet and Jabari Smith Jr. of the Houston Rockets.
One of the biggest sliding-door moments in league history happened during the 2022 NBA draft involving Smith.
The 6-foot-10 forward was projected to go No. until the Orlando Magic sprung a surprise and took Paolo Banchero. The Rockets met with Banchero ahead of the draft, but the Magic stole him like a thief in the night at Barclays Center in that eventful June 23rd.
What if the Magic picked Smith, instead of Banchero? How far would the Rockets have gone with Banchero and Sengun?
Smith to this day is underachieving as a former No. 3 pick. The Magic did the right move after all.
Smith, 22, still has a long runway to be on the right side of history. But his player over his first three seasons with the Rockets doesn’t inspire confidence that he’d become one of the league’s stars.
Smith looked more of a role player than a rising star, averaging a decent 13.0 points and 7.5 rebounds.
His shot — 43.2% from the field and 34.0% from the 3-point line — needs a lot of work. He’s become an afterthought in Houston with Sengun, Amen Thompson and Green taking more of the spotlight.
As such, Smith is the most expendable player in that group of young cornerstones for the Rockets. A move to Phoenix might do good for Smith’s career with a larger role, presumably the third option behind Devin Booker and Bradley Beal if the Durant trade happens.
The Kevin Durant Conundrum
Getty Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns dunks against Dillon Brooks of the Houston Rockets.
Durant can also solve all of the Rockets’ problems — halfcourt scoring, spacing and go-to guy at crunchtime — which was greatly exposed in their first-round loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Veteran point guard Fred VanVleet tried his hardest to fill that role for the Rockets in Games 5 and 6. But he failed in Game 7. Durant would have made a difference against the Warriors, his former team.
This past season, he averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 62 games.
According to ESPN research, Durant averaged at least 25 points, 50% shooting and 40% on 3-pointers in the last three straight seasons, the longest streak ever in the NBA. He shot a league-best on jumpers (49.7%) and midrange shots (53.1%) which makes him a best bet to age gracefully in today’s game.
That should be enough reason for the Rockets to go all in on Durant. They are, after all, are one of the three preferred destinations of the 15-time All-Star, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
But yet Durant’s strong interest has not been met with the same enthusiasm from the Rockets.
Iko added that the Rockets have “largely been uninterested in breaking up their depth, even for a future Hall of Famer.”
On top of that, the Rockets are wary of Durant’s fit to their young core’s timeline. The Suns star is turning 37 this September with 41,236 minutes logged over 1,123 regular season games in his NBA career.
Durant has missed an average of 26.5 games per season since he returned from his Achilles injury in 2019.
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