Kevin Durant Trade Now Official After Historic Seven-Team Deal

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

After major tweaks in the initial deal, finally, Kevin Durant is now an official member of the Houston Rockets.

On July 6, 2025, the biggest off-season signing in the NBA has now materialized after the Rockets engaged in a historic seven-team deal involving the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Brooklyn Nets.

After the first report on June 23, 2025, it was only a team-to-team transaction between Houston and Phoenix, where the Rockets sent Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the no. 10 selection of the 2025 Draft, and additional five second-round picks.

However, the trade couldn’t be finalized after ESPN’s Tim Bontemps announced that a load of deal packages that took place before the Rookie Draft Ceremony were combined following the conclusion of the NBA’s annual moratorium on business.

To materialize the Durant acquisition, six other teams took part in the massive deal, headlined by the Suns, who added Khaman Maluach Rasheer Fleming, Koby Brea, and Daeqwon Plowden.

Brooklyn on the other hand, got the 2026 and 2030 second-round picks, while Golden State tapped the services of Alex Toohey and Jahmai Mashack.

Atlanta received David Roddy, a 2031 second-round pick, and cash considerations while the Lakers got Adou Thiero and cash. Lastly, the Timberwolves nabbed Rocco Zikarsky, and the 2026 and 2032 second-round picks.

In retrospect, The Athletic’s Sam Amick already predicted the Durant trade to Houston last March and that he was already on the team’s watch list for over two years now.

“We know that the Houston’s of the world have been looking at Devin Booker and KD. So they’re certainly going to have a market and we’ll see what ends up happening with him this summer. But really bad across the board,” said Amick.

This will be Durant’s fifth NBA franchise since getting drafted by the Seattle Supersonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder) in 2007.