The 2025 offseason was a busy one around the NBA, and the Houston Rockets likely made the biggest splash of all.
In the annual GM survey conducted by NBA.com, an overwhelming 73% of respondents picked Durant’s trade to the Rockets as the offseason player acquisition that will make the biggest impact.
Advertisement
Desmond Bane joining the Orlando Magic was a distant second (17%). General managers are not allowed to vote for their own team, so one of those minority votes may have come from Rockets general manager Rafael Stone, by default.
As for Durant, the future Hall of Famer earned NBA All-Star honors for the 15th time last season. Even at 37 years old, he remains an extremely efficient and high-level scorer — and on paper, that’s an ideal fit for a Houston squad that was elite defensively last season but mediocre on offense.
In the same GM survey, Durant finished at No. 3 (17%) in votes for the league’s best small forward and at No. 2 (also 17%) on which player GMs would most want taking a shot with a game on the line. He also received votes for being the NBA’s most versatile player.
The complete GM survey can be read here.
Advertisement
As for Durant’s on-court production, he was excellent in his 2025-26 preseason debut with the Rockets, and he is expected to be back on the floor when Houston resumes exhibition play on Tuesday night versus the New Orleans Pelicans.
In a neutral-site game from Birmingham, Alabama, tipoff is at 7:00 p.m. Central, and the game will be televised live on Space City Home Network and NBA League Pass.
More: Dazzling debut: With elite efficiency, Kevin Durant leads Rockets to 2-0 preseason start
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Kevin Durant to Rockets: NBA GMs rate it as offseason’s biggest move