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On Sunday afternoon, the Houston Rockets shook up the NBA world by trading for Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant, per Shams Charania of ESPN. In return, Houston gave up Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the number ten pick in this year's draft, and five second round picks.
While Dillon Brooks may not have been the deadlining piece in the deal, it turns out that a contract stipulation of his, and how that relates to the Suns' future prospects, actually played a big role in allowing the trade to go through.
“Dillon Brooks has a $1 million bonus for making the playoffs. It will now be considered unlikely since the Suns missed the playoffs last year, so technically, they are taking back less than they're sending out,” reported Yossi Gozlan on X, formerly Twitter.
Gozlan also noted that the Rockets “will likely get below (the second apron) through more trades, waiving non-guaranteed players, and restructuring Fred VanVleet's contract.”
A huge move for the Rockets
The Rockets' trade for Durant signals that the team is all-in on looking to compete for championships right away. Last year, Houston was one of the biggest success stories in the NBA, securing the second seed in the Western Conference behind their assortment of young talent as well as a tough defense orchestrated by head coach Ime Udoka.
However, concerns about the team's half-court offense come playoff time came to fruition during the Rockets' first round playoff loss vs the Golden State Warriors, a series in which Jalen Green struggled mightily in six out of the seven contests.
Going forward, the vibes will be quite different for the Rockets, as the team will no longer have the ability to sneak up on opponents as they have in previous years when they were underestimated. Furthermore, giving up so many assets to get a soon-to-be 37 year-old Kevin Durant puts the pressure on the team to win immediately as the star approaches the age of 40.
Meanwhile, for the Suns, this deal gives the team a chance to retool while not bottoming out. Phoenix still has Bradley Beal and Devin Booker on its roster, and Jalen Green will give them a young piece around which they can theoretically build moving forward.
