An hour before the Kevin Durant trade was announced, The Athletic reports that Jalen Green received word from the Rockets that he was in the deal.<\/p>\n
Late last week, a report emerged that the Houston Rockets<\/a> and Phoenix Suns<\/a> hadn\u2019t spoken<\/a> regarding a potential Kevin Durant trade in a week.<\/p>\n Then, on Sunday morning, the deal was suddenly done<\/a>.<\/p>\n The truth is more nuanced, of course. Houston\u2019s offer was reportedly firm<\/a>, so it was more a matter of waiting on the Suns to reduce their asking price. Furthermore, it\u2019s entirely possible that the All-Star forward and his agency representation were the go-betweens in these talks, with both teams communicating their views throughout the process to Durant\u2019s camp. So, it\u2019s certainly possible that more information was known behind the scenes.<\/p>\n As it turns out, in the days leading up to Sunday, it seems longtime Rockets guard Jalen Green was increasingly aware that a deal was coming \u2014 and that he\u2019d likely be in it.<\/p>\n Per Kelly Iko and Sam Amick of The Athletic<\/a>:<\/p>\n Despite Green\u2019s strong preference to stay in Houston, league sources said he became increasingly resigned to the reality he was on the move in the days leading up to the deal and received word that it was agreed upon approximately an hour before it was first reported by ESPN.<\/p>\n Led by general manager Rafael Stone and head coach Ime Udoka, the Rockets understandably wanted to inform Green, themselves, as opposed to having the 23-year-old learn of the deal via social media. Green\u2019s four NBA seasons to date all came with Houston, which drafted him at No. 2 overall in the 2021 first round. Thus, he has developed significant ties to both the franchise and the surrounding community, and parting ways won\u2019t be easy for either side.<\/p>\n Now, Green is on his way to Phoenix, where he will team up with star guard Devin Booker in a high-powered backcourt. Green was the leading scorer (21.0 points per game) last season on a Houston team that finished at 52-30 and No. 2 in the Western Conference, though his disappointing playoff run<\/a> played a large role in a first-round series loss to Golden State.<\/p>\n The Suns won\u2019t have championship aspirations in the near future, which could reduce the pressure on Green while also presenting a bit more runway to continue his development. In contrast, the Rockets want to make a serious title push in 2025-26<\/a>, and that\u2019s a big part of why they sought out the experience and championship pedigree of Durant, along with his historically elite production<\/a> as a scorer.<\/p>\n It could potentially be a win-win deal for both sides, though the Rockets won\u2019t want Green to do too much winning from a team standpoint in Phoenix \u2014 since Houston still owns the Suns\u2019 first-round draft capital in 2027 and 2029<\/a>.<\/p>\n