Kevin Durant’s historic seven-team trade to the Houston Rockets has drawn a lot of attention.
The 36-year-old superstar to the Houston Rockets after joining the Phoenix Suns in 2023.
In his time there, Kevin Durant did not manage to get them past the second round even once, leading to him being given a lot of criticism.
However, he now goes to the Houston Rockets team that has one of the best coaches in the league, and KD will also be sharing the court with a talented duo of Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson.
As soon as the trade was announced, Stephen A. Smith stated the Rockets were title contenders after bringing Durant.
While this may seem like a lot of pressure on one player, Gilbert Arenas does not believe KD has anything to worry about.
No introduction necessary.
🏆 2x NBA Champion
🥇 NBA MVP
💫 15x NBA All-Star
🏅 2x NBA Finals MVP
🏅 4x Olympic Gold Medalist
Welcome to Houston, Kevin Durant! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/BSiZIXOXf7
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) July 6, 2025
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Arenas believes the pressure is on the Rockets
Former NBA player Arenas was speaking on his podcast when addressing who had the most pressure after the trade.
The former Washington Wizards player has had a lot of controversial opinions since making the jump to being an analyst, but his take on KD’s trade to the Rockets was really interesting.
Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images
He said: “Is the pressure on him [Kevin Durant] or the pressure on them [Rockets]? They went after him, they were number two and they’re adding him to the fold.
“I mean we all know he’s gonna do, what he does best, so it’s for them to keep playing the way they’re playing right? It’s weird that we put the tag on him that he is not a leader, but then blame him for failures.”
Arenas then went on to speak about how the team would be the ones to blame if KD performed well and the franchise failed to win.
“The fact that they were number two last year, they needed a go-to-guy, KD’s coming there, then the pressure is on the organization and the coach to make it work, cause if he’s averaging 25-6-6 doing his part and if it don’t work, that has nothing to do with him,” he added.
Durant has a chance to add another championship
Durant will be entering his 18th year in the league next season, but the expectation from him will be to continue being an elite scorer.
He averaged 26 points per game last season and shot at an efficient 52% from the field.
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Despite being 36, Durant’s game is still elite and he can score 30 points on any night.
Adding him to a roster alongside Sengun and Thompson will further elevate the Rockets’ chances.
PositionPlayerPoint GuardFred VanVleetShooting GuardAmen ThompsonSmall ForwardKevin DurantPower ForwardAlperen SengunCenterSteven Adams
They finished second in the West and took the Golden State Warriors to seven games in the first round of the playoffs.
The team needed a scorer, and that is exactly what they got when KD was added to the roster.
Having also added the likes of Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela, the Rockets are now deep.
Durant will show up with buckets every night, but if the others also level up, Ime Udoka’s side could be the ones to compete against the OKC Thunder for the Western Conference crown.