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On Sunday afternoon, the Houston Rockets shook up the NBA world by trading for Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, giving up Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and draft compensation in the process. The deal, originally reported by Shams Charania of ESPN, gives the Rockets a remedy to their halfcourt offense while allowing the Suns to have some much-needed roster flexibility moving forward.
One key aspect of this deal is the fact that Dillon Brooks was promised a $1 million bonus in his contract due to the fact that the Rockets made the playoffs this past season.
Recently, NBA insider Bobby Marks of ESPN reported on how that, combined with second-apron concerns for the Rockets, could mean that Houston might look to expand the deal.
“The Brooks likely bonus (reaching the 1st round) to unlikely is key in this trade. Houston will aggregate contracts and as a result, the 2nd apron in 2025-26 gets triggered,” reported Marks on X, formerly Twitter.
Marks also reported that he “would expect this trade gets expanded for Houston to avoid the first apron (they are currently taking back more $$).”
The second apron of course is the area that every NBA team wants to avoid.
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A big move for the Rockets
The Rockets' trade for Durant, who will turn 37 years old before next season begins, signals a young team that is now fully all-in on competing for championships in the short term.
The Rockets surprised many this past year by securing the number two seed in the Western Conference; however, the team's lack of a reliable halfcourt shot creator ultimately spelled their downfall in the first round vs the Golden State Warriors.
Durant is a reliable halfcourt shot creator if there ever was one, and the fact that the Rockets were able to acquire him without giving up young pieces like Jabari Smith Jr. or Reed Sheppard should certainly be viewed as a win by fans of the franchise, although it remains to be seen what sort of expansion of the deal the team might have in store as per Marks' report.
