It wasn’t even 30 seconds into Rockets’ general manager Rafael Stone’s first meeting with the media since the Kevin Durant trade that he made known his franchise is no longer in rebuild mode.
Stone would make the point a few more times, but the first time came across clearly.
“In terms of just developing guys, I think we are not a developmental team anymore,” Stone said at the Rockets’ practice facility. “That shift probably happened a year or two ago. I think the goal for this group is to win basketball games and to be as competitive as we can be.”
Make no mistake about it, you don’t make the trade the Rockets made for Durant and give up the assets they surrendered to Phoenix – Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and the No.10 overall pick in last month’s NBA Draft – to be competitive. The Rockets have been competitive the last two seasons, even breaking back into the playoffs this past season as the No.2 seed in the Western Conference.
Stone and the rest of the Rockets’ decision makers are in the win now mode.
They think acquiring Durant, who is entering his 19th NBA season and will be 37 by the time the 2025-26 season starts, makes the Rockets an instant contender for the Western Conference Finals title and perhaps the NBA Championship. This move, however, comes with a lot of risks that Stone seems aware of and was comfortable taking in securing the seven-team deal to acquire Durant.
“He’s Kevin Durant,” Stone said while shrugging off a question about why he wanted to acquire Durant. “He’s really good, he’s super efficient. He had a great year last year. He’s not 30 anymore, but he hasn’t really fallen off, and we think he has a chance to be really impactful for us.”
“That’s what he brings to every team. No team that doesn’t have Kevin has his unique skillset. So he will bring that here. There are, for sure things we give up, but we like the trade off.”
Rockets general manager Rafael Stone on Kevin Durant trade
Indeed, Durant could be impactful and be the catalyst the Rockets need to move past the first round of the playoffs and perhaps break through to the Western Conference Finals. But it’s risky.
Durant was this past season in Phoenix, who he has always been—a star player who can create his shot from almost anywhere on the floor and is super-efficient, all traits the Rockets were missing this past season. Still, there are no guarantees Durant will continue to play at even last season’s level, when he averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while shooting nearly 53% from the floor and 43% from 3-point range in 62 games.
What the Rockets gave up in Green is a young star who averaged 21 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, shot 42% from the field and 35% from 3-point range in 82 games, and whose better days are out in front of him. While the Rockets, at best, have a two-year window to win with Durant.
Sure, Green could have played better in his first NBA playoff appearance, and chances are that he will moving forward. And yes, he could have been more consistent throughout the season, and there is no reason that won’t happen in the future.
While there had been rumblings of frustration with Green, Stone gave no indication of that when he met with reporters for the first time since the trade. In fact, the GM who drafted Green came across as quite complimentary of the young star.
“Jalen is awesome. He did everything that we asked,” Stone said. “He was a wonderful combination of talent and work ethic, along with being just a great human being.
“Anytime that you have the privilege to work with someone who is talented and works really hard and is really nice, you should value it. Organizationally, we valued him tremendously.”
Naturally, the follow-up is why move on from Green if you thought so highly of him.
“It’s the NBA and you can only do trades if a certain amount of money goes out, a certain amount comes in, and there is some positional overlap or at least overlap in on-ball presence,” Stone said to the Defender. “So that’s what the deal required.”
However, Stone may have to answer at some point why he made the decision at all. But it’s clear at this point that the focus is on winning now. They’ve also traded away Cam Whitmore and added 32-year-old Dorian Finney-Smith and 31-year-old Clint Capela to the roster.
There isn’t an ounce of concern about the durability of Durant, who has not played 82 games since the 2009-2010 season when he was still with Oklahoma City.
“He will play when he can play and we have – against just on paper – but on paper a very deep roster and when he is not able to play, other guys will step up,” Stone said.
For now, it’s the move that has been made and the risk Stone and the Rockets are willing to take.
“On paper, but everything has to play out,” Stone said. “But we like the fit. We think it works well. We think he will add to us, and we think we will help him.”
