Just days before the 2025 NBA Playoffs tip off, the Houston Rockets shook the league by acquiring Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns.
ESPN Front Office Insider Bobby Marks provided a detailed breakdown of the trade’s financial mechanics, explaining why the deal won’t be finalized until July 6 due to a “poison pill” restriction tied to Jalen Green’s rookie extension.
Durant, who turns 37 in September, is still under contract through 2026 at $54.7 million next season. He is eligible to sign a two-year, $122 million extension on July 6 — or slightly more if he waits until January.
The Rockets will send Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 Draft, and five second-round selections to Phoenix. However, Green’s poison pill restriction means his outgoing salary counts as $12.5 million for Houston, while the Suns must count $29.5 million as incoming salary.
Marks noted that this difference creates cap complications, making the trade unapprovable until the moratorium lifts in early July.
Dillon Brooks’ deal adds further complexity. His $1 million bonus for reaching the playoffs was reclassified as “unlikely,” which affects Houston’s second apron status in 2025-26.
The Rockets are expected to expand the trade to include more salary-matching components, allowing them to stay below the first apron, which places limits on roster flexibility.
Durant averaged 26.6 points over 75 games this season. He now joins a 52–30 Houston squad anchored by Alperen Sengun, Fred VanVleet, and Jabari Smith Jr.
The move positions Houston as a legitimate contender in the West, especially after securing the No. 2 seed behind Oklahoma City.
Phoenix, which finished 11th in the conference at 36–46, pivots toward a younger roster with Green and Brooks joining Devin Booker.
Now armed with three first-rounders and eight second-rounders, the Suns gain financial flexibility and future trade leverage.
Houston, meanwhile, takes a win-now approach with one of the league’s most accomplished postseason scorers in Durant, who won back-to-back Finals MVPs in 2017 and 2018.
