The most heavily-rumored destination for Durant is the Houston Rockets. The Hoop Collective's Tim MacMahon points out the Rockets are "reluctant" to reduce their timeline as the franchise believes they have a bright future given their young roster and bevy of future draft picks, including three 2027 first-round selections.

“It was strongly conveyed to The Stein Line going into the playoffs that a Houston trade pursuit of Durant had become even “less likely” than previously thought. The Suns naturally want the Rockets to want to Durant and, according to league sources, did try to engage them in Durant dialogue before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

The 23-year-old was mostly invisible in the seven-game loss to the Warriors — aside from a 38-point outburst in Game 2.