It's only a matter of time before the Phoenix Suns trade Kevin Durant away, with the two-time Finals MVP reportedly having the Houston Rockets as one of his three preferred landing spots – the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat being the other two. But it seems as though the Rockets are going to have to bridge the gap that remains in trade negotiations for the 36-year-old star forward.

According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, the Rockets have already made a “firm offer” to the Suns for Durant, but Phoenix was reportedly “underwhelmed” with the offer that they sent. There seems to be no rush on the Suns' end to pull the trigger on a trade sending Durant to any of his preferred destinations, as they are looking to play it out and drum up a bidding war among teams interested in the future Hall of Famer's services.

While Iko's sources did not reveal what the Rockets had offered for the Suns to consider that package as something that's not worth their while, it's likely that Jalen Green would be one of the main pieces headed to the Valley in such a scenario. The Suns have reportedly done their due diligence on Green, according to previous reporting from HoopsHype's Michael Scotto.

Green struggled a ton in the playoffs and would be an iffy fit at best alongside two other guards in Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. With the Suns having no control over their future first-round draft picks, they would want to remain as competitive as possible — and a trio of Green, Booker, and Beal would not just have positional overlap, but their games do not complement each other as well.

Nonetheless, expect the Rockets to come back with a more competitive offer, especially if the Spurs and Heat improve their potential trade packages for Durant.

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Rockets face cap crunch amid Kevin Durant pursuit

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

With Durant set to make $54 million next season, the Rockets will need to put together a trade package worth nearly the same amount that the Suns star is making. Houston is approaching the second apron, and if they aggregate players together in a potential deal with the Suns, they cannot go over that threshold.

The path of least financial resistance for the Rockets in any such deal would be to include Green, but it doesn't seem like the Suns are interested if he were the centerpiece of a Durant trade package.