Nine years ago, the OKC Thunder found their ill-fated Game 7 against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals be overshadowed by superstar Kevin Durant, as he had just allowed his club to squander a 3-1 lead and was heading into the offseason as a disgruntled free agent.
Now, in 2024-25 and on game day of yet another series-finale showdown for Oklahoma City, it seems the forward has once again taken the spotlight away from the franchise, as it was announced on Sunday morning by ESPN NBA Insider Shams Charania that the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets had agreed on a deal that will send Durant to Space City.
In exchange for the two-time Finals MVP, the Rockets are shipping Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in this year's draft, and five total second-round picks back to Phoenix.
Kevin Durant steals spotlight from Thunder before Game 7 of NBA Finals
Though this may have been a trade concept that both fans and pundits had already been discussing for several months, the timing of its execution seems to have caught many by surprise, especially with Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Thunder and Indiana Pacers just a few hours away from tipping off.
Even Durant was ill-prepared to receive such news, as he was in the middle of an interview at Fanatics Fest when the bombshell report dropped.
The reigning second seeds in the Western Conference standings are clearly looking to position themselves to take down the two-time number one-ranked Thunder as soon as next year, as they're now adding Durant, who is fresh off his 15 All-Star-earning season while having wrapped with sensational averages of 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.2 blocks while shooting 52.7 percent from the floor and 43.0 percent from distance.
With him in tow, the Rockets now have formulated a win-now core that already includes established All-Star Alperen Sengun and rising two-way star Amen Thompson.
The move also almost guarantees that Houston will now try to restructure the contract of point guard Fred VanVleet this summer, as his 2025-26 season under his current agreement is contingent upon a club option with a value of $44.8 million.
Since early January, reports have been that both Houston and VanVleet had mutual interest in tweaking the framework of his deal in the hope of securing a longer-term pact in the process.
With KD's $54.7 million salary coming aboard, a restructuring of the 31-year-old's contract with back-loaded financial promises seems like a lock.