With less than two weeks left before the NBA season begins, Trae Young is viewed as a star who can join a specific team and instantly help them win an NBA championship. Although Young has spent his career so far with the Atlanta Hawks, he has only led the team to the Conference Finals once and has failed to advance past the first round in all the other seasons.
Given that Young is considered a talented scorer and facilitator, his lack of success with the Hawks makes him a candidate that teams across the league want to add to their lineup. While the Houston Rockets have already improved significantly after acquiring Kevin Durant this offseason, recent reports suggest that the organization should also consider making a move for Young.
Should the Houston Rockets Go All In by Pairing Up Kevin Durant and Trae Young?
When the Rockets made a trade for Durant from the Phoenix Suns, they transformed from a young team with no real expectations to legitimate postseason contenders. Fred VanVleet signed a two-year contract worth $50 million with the Rockets this offseason, and the 2019 NBA champion was expected to be their primary ball handler and point guard.
Unfortunately, VanVleet ended up tearing the ACL on his right knee and is not expected to play in the majority of the upcoming 2025-2026 NBA season. In fact, he might miss all of it, prompting the Rockets to find a suitable replacement immediately.
Since Durant is rapidly approaching the backend of his career, the Rockets entered a “win now” situation when they decided to trade for him. According to Greg Swartz from Bleacher Report, Young is an ambitious trade target for the Rockets.
“Trae Young joining forces with Kevin Durant, Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson and others would make the Rockets an incredible force, even in the West.”
Pairing up Durant and Young while finding a way to retain other key players on the Rockets is something that even Rockets fans know is too good to be true. After all, Young is on a five-year contract worth $215,159,700, meaning that he will be paid just under $46 million this upcoming season.
The Rockets can’t convince the Hawks to part ways with their franchise cornerstone unless they are willing to give up Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson. It will also be difficult for Houston to move on from VanVleet’s contract or find a profitable trade for him due to his ACL injury.
In any case, the Rockets’ confidence has not significantly diminished despite losing VanVleet to start the season. While they would instantly transform into championship favorites if they managed to acquire Young, they still have a good chance at winning it all with a roster built around Durant.