Rockets confirm arrival of Durant in unprecedented NBA seven-team trade
Superstar Kevin Durant is headed from the Phoenix Suns to Houston as part of an NBA-record seven-team deal, the Rockets verified on Sunday.The Firecrackers
will likewise welcome back Clint Capela in a sign-and-trade handle Atlanta, Houston stated in a declaration posted on the team website.Advertisement Likewise involved
in the blockbuster transfer were the Brooklyn Webs, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers.Durant, in a Sunday post on X, sent out a goodbye message to fans in Phoenix while making it clear he is delighted to be heading for Houston, his 5th career NBA club.” My time in Phoenix has pertained to an end,”Durant posted.
“All these stops along the journey have actually affected me in a positive method. Remember it’s a world behind the scenes, and those who make things work in that area, work relentlessly to make our lives simpler as players.”I genuinely believe this nba is a one huge neighborhood.
Much love to Arizona. Houston, Can’t Wait!” Ad Durant, a 15-time NBA All-Star forward,
turns 37 in September. The 2014 NBA The majority of Prized possession Player won NBA titles with Golden State in 2017 and 2018.”Kevin affects the game on both ends of the court and is one
of the most effective scorers in the history of basketball,”Firecrackers general manager Rafael Stone said in a declaration.”We liked the growth our team showed last season and believe Kevin’s capability will incorporate effortlessly.”Capela, a 31-year-old Swiss center, played his first six NBA seasons in Houston
and the past five for the Hawks. He averaged 8.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.1 helps and 1.0 obstructs a game and signs up with New Zealand’s Steven Adams as a big-man backup to Turkey’s Alperen Sengun.The Suns’haul after losing Durant consisted of 18-year-old South Sudanese 7-foot-2(
2.18 m)center Khaman Maluach, the 10th total pick in June’s NBA draft, plus Houston forward Dillon Brooks of Canada and guard Jalen Green, Atlanta wing Daeqwon Plowden, Minnesota forward Rasheer Fleming and Golden State guard Koby Brea of the Dominican Republic.Advertisement The Hawks got cash and a 2031 draft choice swap from Houston while Brooklyn obtained 2 future second-round choices and sent the rights to inbound US rookie forward Adou Thiero to the Lakers.The Warriors obtained the rights to Australian forward Alex Toohey, the 52nd pick in last month’s draft, and US guard Jahmai Mashack, the last choice in the draft.Minnesota landed 2 future draft choices from
the Suns and 18-year-old Australian 7-foot-3 center Rocco Zikarsky, the 45th pick in the draft, from the Lakers.Durant had actually verified last month he was”looking forward”to signing up with the Rockets after reports he was headed to Houston emerged on the day of game 7 of the NBA Finals.Advertisement However, the deal might not be completed till the league’s yearly moratorium on signing ended on Sunday.-No. 2 choice in 2007-” Having actually bet Kevin and coached him before, I know he’s the type of competitor who fits with what we have actually been constructing here in
Houston,”said
Firecracker coach Ime Udoka, who dealt with Durant at the Brooklyn Nets and on the US Olympic squad.Durant signed up with Phoenix in February 2023 in a trade with Brooklyn that cost the Suns three players and four first-round draft picks.With Durant, the Suns won only one playoff series in three seasons before the swap with the Rockets, who missed the playoffs 4 years in a row before falling to Golden
State in this year’s first round.Advertisement Durant started his NBA journey as the 2nd selection in the 2007 draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, who transferred to Oklahoma City in 2008. Durant, a four-time NBA scoring champ with the Thunder, triggered his group to the NBA Finals in 2012, when Oklahoma City lost to the LeBron James-led Miami Heat.bb/ js