Michael Scotto
 |  USA TODAY Sports

Another Sunday, another blockbuster trade, this time with Kevin Durant heading to the Houston Rockets.

A couple of days before the draft, HoopsHype has gathered the latest intel on what’s next following the KD trade for the Rockets, Suns, Heat, Timberwolves, and Raptors. In addition, what’s next for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers following the NBA Finals, Kings trade talks, Guerschon Yabusele’s upcoming free agency, and an interview with Raptors free agent Chris Boucher.

What’s next for the Rockets after acquiring Kevin Durant?

After having one of the best freshman seasons in college basketball history at Texas, Kevin Durant is returning to the state 18 years later as a member of the Houston Rockets, one of his preferred trade destinations.

Durant was traded to the Rockets in exchange for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft, and five second-round picks, as ESPN first reported.

The possibility of Phoenix expanding the Durant trade remains since the deal can’t become official until July 6th, HoopsHype has learned.

Durant reunites with Rockets coach Ime Udoka, whom he spent time with on the Brooklyn Nets. Udoka was the head coach of the Boston Celtics and was in favor of the organization trying to acquire Durant when the organization dangled a package centered around Jaylen Brown, league sources told HoopsHype. Now, while finalizing his contract extension with the Rockets, Udoka encouraged Houston to trade for Durant, sources said. This time, Udoka got his man.

Durant will reunite with Royal Ivey, his former teammate and assistant coach, who turned down interest from the Grizzlies and Spurs for assistant coaching positions to remain in Houston alongside Udoka. Ivey also interviewed for Phoenix’s head coaching opening. Within league circles, Ivey’s decision to stay with Houston was a potential sign that Durant would ultimately end up with the Rockets.

The Rockets have several more roster decisions to come, including team options on Fred VanVleet ($44.89 million) and Aaron Holiday ($4.9 million), along with Jock Landale’s $8 million non-guaranteed salary for the 2025-26 season.

In addition, the Rockets remain well equipped to make another blockbuster splash if they desire after maintaining control of the Suns’ top selection in 2027 and 2029 by not including them in Durant trade talks and only parting with Green from their talented young core.

What’s next for the Suns after trading Kevin Durant?

The Phoenix Suns pushed to get a Kevin Durant trade done before the NBA Draft and got the highest draft pick they could at No. 10 overall as part of the deal, along with former No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green, defensive stopper Dillon Brooks, and five second-round picks.

When Green originally signed his three-year, $105.33 million contract with Houston, rival NBA executives pegged it as a candidate to be moved. Green is owed $69.33 million guaranteed through the 2026-27 season and has a $36 million player option for the 2027-28 season.

While Green has shown the ability to be a consistent 20-point per game scorer through his first four seasons, there’s still upside for more development for the 23-year-old guard.

As previously reported on HoopsHype, Phoenix did background on Green before acquiring him to gauge his value around the league in case it would be worthwhile for the Suns to flip him again via trade.

On Sunday, John Gambadoro – who’s been thoroughly on top of Suns news – reported Phoenix intends to keep Green.

Brooks, who’s considered a culture builder and a 3-and-D swingman, is owed $43.12 million combined through the 2026-27 season. His toughness and defensive intangibles were characteristics sought by new general manager Brian Gregory.

The Suns aggressively targeted starting center upgrades during Durant talks, including trying to pry Rudy Gobert, Jakob Poeltl, and Kel’el Ware and could continue to look to upgrade at the position.

Suns center Nick Richards, who has a $5 million non-guaranteed salary for the 2025-26 season, is expected to have his salary guaranteed by the Suns, league sources told HoopsHype. Richards started 34 of 36 games for Phoenix last season and averaged 9.5 points on 60.5 percent shooting from the field with 8.6 rebounds in 22.7 minutes per game.

Keep an eye on the Suns moving on from Vasilije Micic and Cody Martin to get below the second apron.

Phoenix is expected to decline the $8.11 million team option on Micic, barring a trade that would necessitate his salary being included, league sources told HoopsHype. The two-time EuroLeague champion and former EuroLeague MVP is expected to command significantly lucrative offers overseas.

Martin, whose $8.68 million salary for the 2025-26 season is non-guaranteed, is in a similar boat as Micic. Martin is a candidate to be waived unless his salary is included in a trade.

Phoenix has also gauged the trade market on swingmen Royce O’Neale and Grayson Allen, league sources told HoopsHype.

O’Neale averaged 9.1 points and shot 40.6 percent from 3-point range in 75 games for Phoenix last season and is owed a combined $32.63 million over the next three seasons.

Allen averaged 10.6 points on 42.6 percent from 3-point range in 64 games, is owed $35 million for the next two seasons, and has a $19.38 million player option for the 2027-28 season.

Why did Miami miss on acquiring Kevin Durant, and what’s next?

Miami withheld Kel’el Ware from Kevin Durant trade talks, which was one of the factors why Miami didn’t land Durant. The Heat also had a much lower pick at No. 20 overall in this year’s draft than Houston at No. 10.

With Miami out of the Durant sweepstakes, Golden State Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga is a potential fallback sign-and-trade candidate to monitor for the Heat, as HoopsHype first mentioned on June 16th.

Speaking of restricted free agents, Heat guard Davion Mitchell is expected to draw interest from several teams after averaging 10.3 points on 50.4 percent shooting overall and 44.7 percent from beyond the arc, 5.3 assists, and 1.4 steals over 30 games, including 15 starts, for Miami.

Why acquiring Kevin Durant gave the Timberwolves pause and what’s next

The Minnesota Timberwolves had multiple concerns about trading for Kevin Durant, which is partly why the 15-time All-Star didn’t land with the organization after making an aggressive pitch for him at the trade deadline.

The Timberwolves were concerned about trading for Durant when Minnesota wasn’t on his preferred list of destinations. In addition, the Suns desired Rudy Gobert in trade talks, and losing their French defensive anchor to pair Julius Randle and Kevin Durant in the frontcourt together wasn’t seen as an ideal pairing defensively, HoopsHype has learned.

Minnesota has maintained that re-signing Naz Reid in free agency is a priority, as previously reported on HoopsHype.

Depending on whether Minnesota retains Randle and Reid in free agency and at what price, re-signing Nickeil Alexander-Walker could be challenging with the 26-year-old expected to command the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, as previously noted on HoopsHype.

After flirting with acquiring Kevin Durant, where do the Raptors go from here?

The Toronto Raptors withheld Jakob Poeltl in trade talks for Kevin Durant, and there’s a strong expectation the organization will look to extend him, league sources told HoopsHype, echoing similar reporting from Sportsnet and The Stein Line.

Poeltl averaged a career-high 14.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game for Toronto. Poeltl is viewed as a stabilizing force by the Raptors, who doesn’t need the ball to be effective, is coachable, and is a good presence in the locker room around the rest of the core.

Toronto has also continued to gauge the trade market on RJ Barrett, league sources told HoopsHype. Barrett, who’s owed $57.32 million over the next two seasons, averaged a career-high 21.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game.

Lastly, Raptors forward Chris Boucher enters unrestricted free agency and spoke with HoopsHype in an exclusive interview below in this intel story.

What’s next for the Oklahoma City Thunder?

After winning the first championship in the Oklahoma City era, the prevailing notion within league circles is young stars Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren will receive massive rookie-scale extensions from the Thunder.

The question is whether both get full maximum rookie-scale extensions or take a slight discount to help the Thunder financially long-term.

“Jalen Williams is a once-in-a-lifetime player,” NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said after Game 7. “Without him, his performances, big-time moments, shot-making, defending, and everything he brings to this team, we don’t win this championship. This is just as much my MVP as it is his. We’ll share this one for a very long time. He’s a winner for sure.”

Holmgren had five blocked shots, the most by a player in an NBA Finals Game 7 since blocks were first recorded in the 1973-74 season.

Gilgeous-Alexander is expected to land a supermax contract extension and is projected to be the first player who will eventually make $80 million or more in a season, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks noted.

More imminently, Oklahoma City has a roster crunch to solve. Including the No. 15 and 24 picks in the draft, the Thunder would have 17 players on the roster, two more than the maximum allowed. Therefore, they’ll have to make some moves.

Rival NBA executives who spoke with HoopsHype believe Oklahoma City could trade the No. 24 pick in the draft for a future first-round selection or select a foreign draft-and-stash overseas player such as Hugo Gonzalez or Noah Penda.

Rival executives also view Ousmane Dieng as a possible trade candidate if Oklahoma City adds their first-round selections to the roster as constructed.

What’s next for the Indiana Pacers?

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was off to a blistering start in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, scoring nine points in just seven minutes, before he suffered a non-contact right lower leg injury, slamming the court several times as he was writhing in pain before his teammates surrounded him and helped him to the locker room with a towel covering his face.

Immediately, there was fear Haliburton suffered an Achilles injury, which his father John confirmed to ABC sideline reporter Lisa Salters during the television broadcast.

With Haliburton seemingly expected to miss significant time, where do the Pacers go from here?

Indiana recently traded their No. 23 pick in the NBA Draft and the rights of Mojave King to the New Orleans Pelicans for Indiana’s own 2026 first-round draft pick back, which the Pelicans had previously acquired.

The move signaled Indiana was saving money to re-sign Myles Turner, the top free-agent center on the market according to our HoopsHype rankings. It’s also a silver lining and somewhat fortunate that Indiana retained control of its 2026 first-round pick should Haliburton miss a prolonged period.

The big question on the minds of many in league circles is whether Pacers owner Herb Simon will still go into the luxury tax as initially expected to keep Turner now that his franchise star Haliburton could miss a prolonged period.

In addition, teams around the league circled the wagon on the trade availability of Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, and Jarace Walker this season. Rival teams are expected to circle the wagon again this offseason on those players.

Mathurin, who recently turned 23, is also eligible for a rookie-scale extension this offseason, coming off 24 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and two steals in Game 7.

Sacramento Kings: Malik Monk and Devin Carter trade talks

The Sacramento Kings have been active in trade talks around the league this offseason since Scott Perry has replaced Monte McNair as general manager.

The Kings have expressed a desire to acquire a first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, league sources told HoopsHype. Amid those conversations, Sacramento has gauged the trade market on guards Malik Monk and Devin Carter, sources said.

Monk started 45 of 65 games played and averaged career-highs in points (17.2), assists (5.6), and minutes (31.6). The 27-year-old guard is owed $38.99 million combined over the next two seasons and has a $21.58 million player option for the 2027-28 season.

Carter, Sacramento’s No. 13 pick overall in 2024, battled injuries and appeared in 36 games. The Kings most notably held Carter out of trade talks for Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson during the season, league sources told HoopsHype.

However, since taking over, Perry has pursued a veteran point guard to replace De’Aaron Fox, whom the franchise traded to the Spurs.

As previously reported by HoopsHype on June 4th, rival NBA executives are also monitoring the trio of Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan with the belief that Sacramento will explore the possibility of trading at least one of those players either this offseason or before the trade deadline in February.

Guerschon Yabusele free agency update

Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele made a triumphant return to the NBA, averaging 11 points on 50.1 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent beyond the arc while grabbing 5.6 rebounds in 27.1 minutes per game.

After proving himself as a consistent NBA player, Yabusele is set to cash in this summer as an unrestricted free agent.

The San Antonio Spurs are among several teams expected to have interest in Yabusele during free agency, league sources told HoopsHype.

Yabusele played on the French National Team that won a silver medal in the Paris 2024 Olympics with Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.

The Philadelphia 76ers, of course, also have interest in re-signing their forward, league sources told HoopsHype.

Chris Boucher: “Before (basketball), I was playing a little bit of soccer and street hockey because it was free”

Kevin Sousa/Getty Images

Raptors forward Chris Boucher has played all but one game of his NBA career with the franchise, including as a member of the 2019 championship run, but could his tenure be coming to an end in Toronto ahead of unrestricted free agency?

With Toronto focused on developing young talent while in the mix for higher lottery odds, Boucher made the most of his playing time in a lesser role, averaging a career-high 21 points per 36 minutes and shooting the second-highest 3-point percentage of his career (.363).

Boucher spoke with HoopsHype over the phone to discuss the unlikely journey that led to him becoming an NBA player, his time with the Raptors over seven seasons, what to expect from Toronto next season and beyond, playing with Scottie Barnes, his upcoming free agency, and more.

How did you get started playing basketball?

Chris Boucher: I grew up in a difficult part of Montreal. One thing that wasn’t expensive that we were able to do was play basketball, go to the parks, and play with whoever was on the court. At the time, I was kind of small. I was able to shoot a little bit, and then I got taller. I wanted to dunk. Every day, I was getting better. I ended up growing to about 6-foot-8 and was able to shoot a little bit. I think that helped me envision playing basketball. I was 20 when I started. Even after five or six years in the NBA, I feel like I was getting better and learning things that some players already knew from playing in high school.

Ibrahim (Willson) and Igor (Rwigema), the coaches that saw me before I went to prep school, saw me playing in the park, and they told me that I had a chance to play in the States and get a scholarship. I kept getting better. When I first got the Sports Illustrated magazine in Oregon, I realized that’s when people were actually seeing what I’m doing, and I had a chance to get further in my career.

Before that, I was playing a little bit of soccer and street hockey because it was free.

You’re 32, but you’ve only played eight years in the league, so how do you feel that impacts your development?

CB: I think the way it helps me is that I don’t have all the years of basketball on my body. For example, guys that have played since they’re eight or nine, that’s a lot of years of basketball to get to the league and a lot of pressure on your body. I never felt like that. I always felt like my body was younger, even though I was older. My body feels young. Learning about basketball, getting better, and the pace of the game was getting slower the more I was playing. Since I haven’t played since I was young, I’ve learned all those things that make the game a lot easier and the game a lot slower. It makes me a better player, understanding the game, seeing what I can do, and how I can get better. People don’t get better when they get to my age.

As you touched on, most people see 32 and think a player is what he is. In your scenario, how do you feel about that in comparison?

CB: I feel like they’ve gotten the chance to see it through the years. You can see how my career has been, and this year has been one of my best years. I think I shot the ball better and made better decisions. I was a better defensive player. Even in restricted minutes, I understood my role and knew what I had to do to come into the game, be a spark, and be efficient. I think I was able to do all of this in one year. I was able to do that because I knew myself and what I could do while also knowing my role.

One thing I’ve been able to do through the years is take the good and the bad and make a season full of the good stuff that I can do. Shooting the ball, reading decisions, and being impactful in defending multiple positions. Being with the Raptors, I was definitely one of their best players off the bench. This year, I feel like I was more consistent, and I was able to do a lot of things I wasn’t able to do in years past.

What’s it meant to spend all but one game of your career in Toronto?

CB: I think of how much they believed in me at the beginning, and that was really something that I have to give them their flowers to believe in something that people weren’t sure of at that time. I thought I was so much better. Obviously, I had some potential, but I wasn’t there yet. They kept believing in me and kept putting me in a position to get better. That all helped me out. I think the player I am now a lot of it comes from them and seeing what I was able to do while learning from the positions I was put in. They showed me how to become a leader and a man. My life has changed a lot in the eight years that I’ve been here. A lot of things I had to learn on the fly, and I was able to do that in Toronto.

What direction do you see Toronto going into next season and beyond?

CB: Obviously, I want to play with a team that’s going for winning. I want to get back into the playoffs. When I look at the playoffs, I don’t see myself not being in it. I’d say there are a lot of things I can do to help a team. I feel like with Toronto, I’ve always been lucky to be with this team trying to win. This year, it was a little bit different, and it felt a little different. Now it’s about how I can get better and be wherever it is, whether it’s here in Toronto or somewhere where they want to win. If that’s the case, then that’s where I should be.

How do you feel you can fit in Toronto around the new tandem of Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram?

CB: I’ve been here for so long. I know everything about the playbook. I’ve played for four years with Scottie Barnes, so I already know how to play with him. It doesn’t change anything for me. I know how to position myself with what he’s able to do, and I’ve seen him grow the whole time. Scottie, Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and the rest of the core, I’ve been there with them. I didn’t play as much, but in the minutes I’ve played with them, they were successful and impactful. It really all depends on them. If they want to go a different route, that’s up to them. When it comes to me and my fit with the team, I feel like I’m able to adjust to whatever it is.

Do I want to not be on the floor, not playing, and wait? I feel like I’ve been doing that for the last two years. We haven’t had winning seasons in those years, which explains it, but I can’t really afford not to be on a playoff team and trying to win, especially when it comes to my age.

What else are you looking for at this point in your career going into free agency?

CB: I want to be able to help a team win. I think that I’m able to fill a lot of roles. One thing that’s good about me is you can put me almost anywhere except point guard. I’ll figure out a way to be impactful and consistent. I think I’m at the point where I can be on a team to help them win, play meaningful minutes, have a consistent role, and not hoping or not knowing what’s coming next.

How specifically can you impact any team?

CB: The way you see the game now and you watch the Pacers and Thunder, where a lot of people are coming off the bench like Obi Toppin, TJ McConnell, and Alex Caruso, and they all bring something to the bench. I feel like I can do that. If I have to start a game, I’m able to do that. I’ve played multiple times where I’ve played 25 minutes and up, and it’s not like I feel out of place. I’ve always been able to help. I’ve been with the Raptors all the time, and I feel like I’ve always been one of the best guys off the bench. I feel like I’m able to do that consistently and be one of the guys who can be counted on off the bench. That’s something I’ve always wanted to get better at. I feel like, through the years, I got better no matter what my minutes looked like. I feel like any team would want a player like that who plays hard and brings energy, and you don’t have to call any plays for me because I find a way to score and be impactful. I feel I’m a low-management guy. I don’t really ask for much. You don’t have to do much to keep me happy. I just want to play.

What’s stuff about you behind the scenes that people wouldn’t know about you?

CB: I think if you get to know me, you’ll learn I have a funny side. I like to joke around. I like to work and all. I have a nurturing mentality where I always care about people, especially those who have been through my type of story and are struggling. I try to help in the community. I feel like I’m a big family person. Those are the things that give me the fire to keep going, be a better player, and what I’m fighting for. Those are all little things I can bring on the floor and to a team that they can see consistently. I wear my heart on my sleeve, and it’s not something I’m trying to work on. I think I’ve always been a hard worker and showed what I’m capable of doing while being doubted a bunch of times.

Is there anything else about you that you think is noteworthy about yourself?

CB: I think one other thing for people to know is that if you look in the league and search players off the bench, through the years, I’ve always been a good player off the bench. You’ll see my minutes have fluctuated, but if you count where my minutes are higher (per 36 minutes), you’ll see I can do way more than what my usage is. I think that’s something that’s always stayed consistent. Every year, I’m getting better. The more I’m used, the better I am.

You can follow Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Blue Sky (@MikeAScotto).