The Houston Rockets thought Kevin Durant was their missing piece. They traded for him. They paid him. They built around him. And for 82 games, it worked. Fifty-two wins. The fourth seed in the Western Conference. Top-eight rankings in offensive, defensive, and net rating. On paper, the Rockets were contenders.
22 NBA Teams Could Be Interested In Kevin Durant If Rockets Decide To Move On
Then the playoffs happened.
And the flaws that regular-season metrics couldn’t fully capture were exposed in brutal fashion. The Rockets are down 3-1 to the Los Angeles Lakers. Durant has appeared in just one of four games due to injury. In that game, he had 23 points, six rebounds, four assists – and nine turnovers. The Lakers shut him down in the second half. Houston is facing elimination.
Now, the offseason looms. And according to Michael Pina of The Ringer, as many as 22 teams would show interest if the Rockets decide to move on from Kevin Durant.
“The Rockets thought that KD was their missing piece, and instead, there’s a chance they’ll turn him into a stepping stone this summer. It turns out that your best player shouldn’t also be a mercenary.”
Let that sink in. Twenty-two teams. That’s more than two-thirds of the league. From the Miami Heat to the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Golden State Warriors to the Boston Celtics – the list of potential suitors is a who’s who of the NBA.
Durant is 37. He’s owed $90 million over the next two years. He’s been a mercenary – Golden State, Brooklyn, Phoenix, Houston. He’s not a franchise cornerstone. He’s a final piece.
And the Rockets have to decide: do they build around him again, or do they pivot while his value remains at its peak?
Let’s break down the Durant dilemma, the market, the fit, and whether Houston should pull the trigger on a trade that could reshape the league.
The Regular Season Success: 52 Wins and Elite Metrics
Let’s start with what worked.
The Rockets finished the 2025-26 regular season with a 52-30 record, good for the fourth seed in the Western Conference. They ranked eighth in offensive rating, sixth in defensive rating, and sixth in net rating. Those are elite numbers. Those are championship-contender numbers.
Durant delivered. At 37 years old, he played 78 games. He averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. He shot 52.0% from the field and 41.3% from three. He was close to another 50-40-90 season.
The structure worked. The defense held up. The system produced wins.
On paper, the Rockets were everything they hoped to be.
The Postseason Collapse: What the Numbers Didn’t Show
But the playoffs are different. The game slows down. Defenses tighten. Weaknesses get exposed.
The Rockets’ weakness? Secondary creation.
When Fred VanVleet went down with an Achilles injury before the season, Houston lost its primary point guard. The Rockets never replaced him. They leaned on younger options like Reed Sheppard while asking Durant to handle more on-ball responsibility.
That worked in stretches. It worked against bad defenses. It worked in the regular season.
Against elite playoff defenses? It collapsed.
Teams have consistently trapped and doubled Durant, especially in late-game situations. They force the ball out of his hands. They dare someone else to beat them. And no one else has stepped up.
In the first-round series against the Lakers, Durant has appeared in just one of four games due to injury. In that game, he had nine turnovers. The Lakers shut him down in the second half. The Rockets are down 3-1.
That’s not a small sample size. That’s a statement.
The Pina Report: 22 Teams Would Show Interest
Let’s talk about the market.
According to Michael Pina of The Ringer, as many as 22 teams would show interest if the Rockets make Durant available.
The list includes:
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
Portland Trail Blazers
Dallas Mavericks
Detroit Pistons
New York Knicks
Toronto Raptors
Atlanta Hawks
Orlando Magic
Los Angeles Lakers
Denver Nuggets
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Washington Wizards
Golden State Warriors
Indiana Pacers
Utah Jazz
Philadelphia 76ers
Boston Celtics
Cleveland Cavaliers
Milwaukee Bucks
LA Clippers
That’s not just contenders. That’s everyone. That’s the entire top tier of the league, plus teams looking to jump-start a rebuild.
Why so much interest? Because Durant is still Kevin Durant. He’s still a top-10 player. He’s still a walking bucket. And for a team that’s one piece away, he’s the ultimate final piece.
The Mercenary Problem: “Your Best Player Shouldn’t Also Be a Mercenary”
Let’s go back to Pina’s quote.
“It turns out that your best player shouldn’t also be a mercenary.”
That’s the crux of the issue. Durant is not a franchise cornerstone. He’s not a culture-setter. He’s not a player you build around for a decade.
He’s a mercenary. He goes to teams that are ready to win. He adds his elite scoring. He helps them over the hump. And then he moves on.
Golden State won with him. Brooklyn didn’t. Phoenix didn’t. Houston might not.
The Rockets thought Durant would be the final piece. Instead, they’re facing a first-round exit. And now they have to decide: do they run it back, or do they turn Durant into a stepping stone for the next phase of their rebuild?
The Contract: Two Years, $90 Million
Let’s talk about the money.
Durant has two years and $90 million remaining on his deal. That’s a massive commitment. It’s also a manageable number for a player of his caliber.
For a contender, $45 million per year for a top-10 player is a bargain. For a rebuilding team, it’s an albatross.
The Rockets have to decide which category they fall into.
The Young Core: Sengun, Thompson, Sheppard, Smith Jr.
Let’s not forget about the rest of the roster.
Houston has a talented young core: Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr. These players are not ready to win a championship now. They might not be ready in two years.
Durant is 37. His timeline doesn’t match theirs.
If the Rockets keep Durant, they’re committing to a win-now window that might already be closed. If they trade him, they can acquire assets – young players, draft picks – that align with their young core’s timeline.
That’s the calculation. That’s the dilemma.
The Udoka Factor: A Coach Under Scrutiny
Let’s talk about the head coach.
Ime Udoka was hired to bring a defensive identity and championship pedigree to Houston. His first season with Durant was promising. His second season is ending in disappointment.
Reports suggest that uncertainty extends beyond Durant. Questions are being asked about the roster and even about Udoka. That’s a sign that organizational confidence in the current direction may not be as strong as the regular-season record suggests.
If the Rockets move on from Durant, they might also move on from Udoka. Or they might give him one more chance. Either way, the front office has difficult decisions to make.
The Fit: Where Could Durant Go?
Let’s look at a few of the 22 teams and why they might want Durant.
Miami Heat: The Heat have been searching for a superstar to pair with Bam Adebayo. Durant would be that player. He’d give them a closer, a scorer, a playoff riser.
Golden State Warriors: The Warriors are in win-now mode with Stephen Curry. Durant already won two titles there. A reunion would be poetic – and terrifying for the rest of the league.
Boston Celtics: The Celtics need a rim pressure player. Durant is not a rim pressure player, but he’s Kevin Durant. He’d fit next to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic and Kevin Durant. That’s a two-man game that would be impossible to stop.
Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid and Durant. Same logic.
The list goes on. The interest is real.
The Rockets’ Decision: Build Around or Pivot?
Let’s put ourselves in the Rockets’ front office’s shoes.
Option 1: Keep Durant. Run it back. Hope that a healthy VanVleet and another year of development for the young core fixes the secondary creation problem. Hope that Durant stays healthy. Hope that this year’s playoff exit was an anomaly.
Option 2: Trade Durant. Pivot. Acquire young players and draft picks. Build around Sengun, Thompson, Sheppard, and Smith Jr. Use the assets from the Durant trade to accelerate the rebuild.
Option 1 is risky. The Rockets could waste another year of Durant’s prime – and then watch him leave for nothing in free agency.
Option 2 is painful. It’s an admission that the experiment failed. But it might be the smartest long-term move.
The Houston Rockets thought Kevin Durant was their missing piece. They built around him. They won 52 games. They looked like contenders.
Then the playoffs happened. The secondary creation problem was exposed. Durant got hurt. The Rockets are on the verge of a first-round exit.
Now, the front office has a decision to make. According to Michael Pina of The Ringer, 22 teams would show interest if Houston makes Durant available. The market would be massive.
Durant is still elite. He’s still a top-10 player. He’s still a walking bucket. But he’s also a mercenary. He’s not a franchise cornerstone. He’s a final piece.
The Rockets have to decide: do they build around him again, or do they pivot while his value remains at its peak?
It’s not an easy decision. But it’s the only one that matters.
The Durant dilemma is just beginning.