All-time NBA great scorer Kevin Durant is ready for the next stop of his career with the ascending Houston Rockets. But the 36-year-old Durant joining a contender isn’t nearly that simple.
After all, who knew it would take NBA history to send the “Slim Reaper” to Space City?
With NBA free agency deals and trades being finalized on Sunday afternoon, that meant it was time to cement Durant’s move from Phoenix to Houston. As it turns out, with all of the salary cap and apron machinations included, it took the first-ever seven-team transaction in league history for Durant to switch from Suns orange to Rockets red. Which, to be clear, is not abnormal for squads to turn blockbuster deals into package opportunities. I swear it happens all the time.
It is, however, completely unprecedented to involve 23 percent of the entire league just to push one major domino down. But hey, I guess whatever it takes, right?
LIVE THEATER: See the wild moment Durant found out he was a Rocket in front of fans
Here are the full terms of the first seven-team trade in NBA history, with Durant obviously serving as the bellwether:
PHX: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming, Koby Brea, Daeqwon Plowden, 2nd
HOU: Kevin Durant, Clint Capela
BKN: 2 2nds
GSW: Alex Toohey, Jahmai Mashack
ATL: 2nd swap, David Roddy, cash
LAL: Adou Thiero
MIN: Rocco Zikarsky, 2 2nds, cash
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 6, 2025
I gotta be honest. I am only intimately familiar with four names over the entire deal: Durant, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and Clint Capela. I love hoops wholeheartedly but even I can’t cop to being this much of a sicko. Nonetheless, I’m sure some of these other young men will have productive NBA futures. I’m certainly not writing them off, to be clear. I’m just not aware of their profiles at this present moment in time.
It’s just really amusing to see them listed in the same place all to send a no-doubt Hall of Famer like Durant to his new city. Dearest readers, welcome to the NBA offseason, where executives everywhere find the most creative ways to massage their respective salary caps and sweeten the pot for landscape-shifting trades like this.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Kevin Durant’s Rockets trade needed historic 7 NBA teams to complete
