The Phoenix Suns are trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft and five second-round picks, team sources told The Athletic.

This marks the first blockbuster trade for Phoenix general manager Brian Gregory, a former college basketball coach who was promoted to his new role as part of a front-office revamp in May. After the Suns missed the playoffs despite boasting the league’s highest payroll, owner Mat Ishbia set out to establish an organizational identity focused on toughness.

Durant will play for his fifth franchise, following stints with the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix. He has one year left on his current contract at $54.7 million, and is eligible this summer for a two-year extension worth up to $122 million. The 15-time All-Star turns 37 in September. ESPN first reported the trade.

Green, 23, is a 6-foot-4 guard who has averaged 20.1 points per game across four seasons. He averaged 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists last season while shooting 42.3 percent.

Brooks, 29, is an eight-year veteran who has averaged 14.2 points throughout his career. He shot a career-best 39.7 percent from 3-point range last season. He is also known as a physical defender and was second-team All-Defense in 2022-23.

Durant’s future in the desert became clear at this season’s trade deadline. Fighting to reach .500, the underperforming Suns explored trading the superstar without informing him, something Durant did not appreciate. Over the season’s final weeks, Durant seemed to accept his fate. With Phoenix lacking roster flexibility as a second-apron team, the Suns needed to reset. Trading him was their best option.

How Durant will fit in Houston

At first glance, Durant looks like a hand-in-glove fit for a team that struggled offensively at times last season, especially in the halfcourt — deficiencies that were exposed by a veteran Warriors team in the first round of the playoffs. For all the benefits that the rebuild has brought, their lack of a consistent go-to scorer is arguably the biggest thing holding the Rockets back from making a deep playoff run.

Durant’s three-level efficiency will instantly raise Houston’s ceiling and gives head coach Ime Udoka optionality with in-game lineups. One criticism about the Rockets’ coaching staff was the lack of creativity in some of its play calling. With Durant, an analytical darling, there should be more rhythm and flow in Houston’s execution.

Alperen Şengün and Fred VanVleet (and Amen Thompson to a lesser degree) have the ability to create plays for others, but Houston’s lack of outside shooting has been a consistent issue over the years. Now, Udoka doesn’t have to put multiple non-shooters on the floor at the same time for extended periods, with the luxury of slotting Durant into any five-man pairing.

According to NBA.com tracking, Durant averaged 5.7 catch-and-shoot attempts last season, which led the team. His effective field goal percentage (66.9) and three-point efficiency (45.6 percent) also led the team. Envision a VanVleet/Şengün pick-and-roll on the weak side with Durant waiting in the opposite slot.

Questions about Durant’s longevity will naturally arise given his age, injury history and the opening of a title window in Houston. But there’s no question that the Rockets’ elite defense and Durant’s elite offensive arsenal are a match made in heaven, if not extremely close to that. — Kelly Iko, Rockets staff writer

What the trade means for Phoenix

Since the season ended, Ishbia has promised an organizational makeover, one built around toughness and grit. This is the start. At the 2023 trade deadline, Phoenix had acquired Durant for a package that included Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and four unprotected future first-round picks. While the Suns didn’t come close to matching what they gave up to acquire Durant, this might have been the best they could do under the circumstances.

Green is a high-scoring guard who has improved over his four NBA years. He’s explosive, athletic and dependable. He’s played all 82 games the past two seasons, and this season averaged a team-best 21 points while shooting a career-best 35.4 percent on 8.1 attempts per game. Last October, Green signed a three-year rookie extension worth $106 million.

The obvious issue: The trade gives Phoenix an overflow of guards. Green joins a group that includes Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen. Booker and Green could give Phoenix a dynamic backcourt if the chemistry is right, something Phoenix battled with Durant.

Brooks is among the league’s biggest irritants, a small forward who loves to get inside the heads of opponents. He has the toughness Phoenix seeks, but he often goes too far. His 19 technical fouls this season trailed only the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards. Brooks has two years left on a contract worth $41.1 million.

The No. 10 pick positions Phoenix to add a solid rotation player at a position of need, someone like Duke center Khaman Maluach. The Suns also have the 29th pick, so they have an opportunity to change the roster quickly. — Doug Haller, Arizona senior writer

Durant’s legacy with the Suns

Although fans appreciated Durant’s greatness, his time in Phoenix will not be remembered fondly. He and Booker never became a dominant duo, and they could not replicate the chemistry displayed last summer on Team USA’s gold-medal run at the Paris Olympics. Adding Beal before the 2023-24 season didn’t help. Beal, a three-time All-Star and high-level scorer, struggled to stay healthy and to find a role.

Overall, the Suns won one playoff series with Durant, a 2023 first-round series against a Los Angeles Clippers team missing key players. In 2024, the Suns were swept in the first round by Minnesota. This season, they didn’t even make the play-in tournament. The Suns had a different head coach for all three of Durant’s seasons.

Phoenix is still likely to make moves. The Suns are expected to try to part ways with Beal, but his salary (he is owed nearly $111 million over the next two seasons) and contract (he has a no-trade clause) will make that difficult. Phoenix explored moving Beal in February but never came close to making a deal.

The Suns plan to build around Booker, a four-time All-Star and the franchise’s career scoring leader. Over 10 years, Booker has experienced some of the best Phoenix seasons and some of the worst. He is eligible this summer for a two-year extension worth $150 million. Booker will play next season for Jordan Ott, a first-time head coach the Suns hired this month after an extensive search. — Haller

(Photo: Chris Coduto / Getty Images)