The Houston Rockets held firm during negotiations with the Phoenix Suns, declining to part with core young players Tari Eason, Reed Sheppard, and Jabari Smith Jr., according to a report by Kelly Iko and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Despite Phoenix’s interest in recouping future assets, including the 2027 and 2029 first-round picks currently held by Houston, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone stood his ground throughout the process.
Talks between the two front offices took place over several weeks and included moments of stalled communication, with one source telling The Athletic that the sides went over a week without speaking.
Phoenix remained motivated to regain draft capital it previously sent to Brooklyn in the 2023 trade for Kevin Durant. However, Houston made clear that any deal involving those picks—or its young core—was off the table.
In the end, the Rockets acquired Durant without sacrificing any of those three players or the two future first-rounders. The final package included Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and five second-round selections.
Durant now joins a Rockets team that went 52–30 and secured the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference but fell in the first round to Golden State in seven games.
The 36-year-old averaged 26.6 points across 75 games in the regular season. He remains under contract through 2026 and gives Houston a proven scorer to lead a roster anchored by Alperen Sengun, Fred VanVleet, and Jabari Smith Jr.
For Phoenix, the deal marks a pivot toward flexibility. The return of Green and Brooks provides younger, controllable talent, while the draft haul enhances their ability to reshape the roster this summer.
The Rockets’ refusal to part with Sheppard, Smith, or Eason signals confidence in their developmental core even as they pursue immediate contention with Durant.
