Not only has Kevin Durant‘s trade to the Rockets become official during the weekend, it is now confirmed that he was part of a historic, never-seen before trade between seven NBA teams. The transaction required a record-setting amount of franchises to come together, and agree for form one massive package.
The deal finally earned its approval by the league this Sunday, as Rockets general manager Rafael Stone finally spoke on the matter. “Kevin impacts the game on both ends of the court and is one of the most efficient scorers in the history of basketball,” he explained the reasoning begins the trade.
“We liked the growth our team showed last season and believe Kevin’s skill set will integrate seamlessly,” Stone added, as the deal involved Phoenix, Houston, Atlanta, Minnesota, Golden State, Brooklyn and the Los Angeles Lakers, and includes a total of 13 players.
The most important moves involved in this trade include KD going to Houston from Arizona, the Rockets sending Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks to the Suns in return, and the Texan club acquiring Clint Capela from the Hawks.
“One of the greatest to ever play the game, we are grateful for the impact Kevin made on our organization and in our community,” said Suns general manager Brian Gregory. “As a member of the Suns, he climbed the scoring charts to become just the eighth player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points, and we wish him the best as he continues his career in Houston.”
The veteran forward is just coming off his 17th campaign in the league, averaging 26.6 points after a relatively poor season. Kevin is also a four-time scoring champion, a two-time Finals MVP and part of an elite group of eight players in NBA history with more than 30,000 career points.
“Having played against Kevin and coached him before, I know he’s the type of competitor who fits with what we’ve been building here in Houston,” expressed Rockets coach Ime Udoka. “His skill level, love of basketball, and dedication to his craft have made him one of the most respected players of his generation.”
