Houston Rockets Greet Kevin Durant With Funny Tweet Hours After Shams Charania Leak

Kevin Durant was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets as he was addressing a Fanatics event.

Houston Rockets Greet Kevin Durant With Funny Tweet Hours After Shams Charania Leak

Kevin Durant Rockets (FS Image)

NBA fans have been having a gala time on the final Sunday of action in the 2024-25 season. After all, a Game 7 is on the cards at primetime, and WNBA basketball leads up to it all day. And before WNBA action tipped off, the NBA landscape was shaken up by another landmark trade. This time, it involved Kevin Durant moving to represent the fifth team of his soon-to-be 19th year playing in the league.

The Houston Rockets have traded for Durant, who won four scoring titles between 2009 and 2014. KD was acquired by Ime Udoka’s side in exchange for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the Suns’ 2025 first round pick and five second round picks. The Rockets waited a few hours before sending a tweet that relays the mood of its fanbase perfectly:

How’s your Sunday going?

On the face of it, the Rockets look like definite winners of this trade. However, many also view it as a win-win move, given that the Suns are looking for a reset. Some have critiqued their inability to get more of their first-rounders back. Logistically, it looks a little light, but it has allowed the Suns to gain a lot more flexibility in the short term as well as the long term, as owner Mat Ishbia pivots away from the KD era.

Initial reports suggest that the Suns are looking to keep Jalen Green, but the picture will only be clearer a few days later. The Rockets have moved to try and win while they are still a relatively young squad. They were able to retain all three of their premier young talents in Jabari Smith Jr, Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore. They will also have Steven Adams backing up Alperen Sengun in the next three years.

With a deep roster studded with All-Defensive team candidates like Thompson and Tari Eason, Kevin Durant will have one of the most plug-and-play roles he’s ever had to play in his career. He will likely start alongside Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr and Alperen Sengun. Durant has shown his ability to play as a small ball 5, but will mostly switch between the 2, 3 and 4 positions for the Rockets.

Kevin Durant and partner Rich Kleiman were in public when the trade news was leaked by Shams Charania

A litany of NBA stars have already been on stage at the Fanatics Fest. Victor Wembanyama lined 100 kids up to play chess against him, while LeBron James shared the stage with Tom Brady. James Harden answered a curveball thrown his way at the fan event without losing his composure as well. Kevin Durant was on stage for his own segment when ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news of the trade.

Kevin Durant (Open Source)
Kevin Durant (Open Source)

Audience members began shouting to Durant that he had been traded to Houston. Durant and moderator Taylor Rooks were understandably confused at the time. Durant asked the crowd to repeat what they’d said, and once he caught on, he had a wide smile on his face. Later on, he was spotted having a good-humored moment with his business partner and agent Rich Kleiman.

Unlike the past three teams that have traded for him (Golden State, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns), the Houston Rockets are not under imminent pressure to win a title as a make-or-break for their current squad. Their two franchise players, Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun, are both in their early 20s. Both stand to gain a lot by playing alongside KD, yet, failure to win a championship wouldn’t be viewed as a failing.

The setting promises to get the best out of KD, who is currently the only person in NBA history to average over 26 points per game over multiple seasons for four different franchises.