On the day of Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, the Houston Rockets sent a shockwave through the Association by acquiring superstar forward Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in next week's Draft, and five second-round picks.
The trade can be formally completed on July 6. The 15-time All-Star reportedly preferred to be dealt to either Houston, the San Antonio Spurs, or Miami Heat, with deep negotiations having taken place over the last 24 hours with Houston and Miami prior to the trigger being pulled, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
Here's a look at how this blockbuster move has impacted the championship betting odds for the upcoming 2025-26 campaign, along with trade grades for both parties.
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Updated 2026 NBA Championship Betting Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Oklahoma City Thunder | +220 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | +900 |
| Houston Rockets | +900 |
| New York Knicks | +1000 |
| Indiana Pacers | +1200 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | +1400 |
| Boston Celtics | +1400 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | +1500 |
Odds as of June 22, 2025 at FanDuel Sportsbook
Following news of the trade, the Rockets moved into possessing the second-shortest odds to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy at the conclusion of the 2026 playoffs at +900, only behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Houston was bounced out of the opening round of this year's postseason by the Golden State Warriors in seven games, but did manage to win 52 games during the regular season and finish second overall in the Western Conference. It was the franchise's best finish since 2018-19 when it went 53-29.
This is one of those incredibly rare situations where a player of Durant's caliber is moved and he's literally in front of the public on stage at an event for the world to see his live reaction, which was the case Sunday afternoon when he attended Fanatics Fest.
Kevin Durant was told about his trade while on stage for Fanatics Fest 😂 pic.twitter.com/RIt0GSbuDg
— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) June 22, 2025
Houston Rockets Trade Grade: A
The new-look core of Durant, Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, Tari Eason, and Jabari Smith Jr. is undoubtedly good enough to once again vie for a top seed in the West, but the Rockets had just achieved that as is. The goal moving forward was to always to raise their ceiling and potentially get to a conference finals or Finals, and Durant's presence undoubtedly accomplishes that.
This will be his third team since 2019-20 after sitting out due to injury, and he's turning 37 years old at the end of September with just one year remaining on his contract. Houston doesn't make this deal, however, unless there's a belief or perhaps verbal agreement in place to extend this relationship beyond next season.
Durant averaged 26.6 points on 52.7 percent shooting and 43 percent from 3-point range, along with 5.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.2 rejections across 62 appearances this year with Phoenix. The team only went 36-46, though, despite having the highest payroll in the history of the league. The two-time champion and two-time Finals Most Valuable Player contributed 26.8 points per game during his three years with the organization, as well, which currently ranks as the most by any player in their history.
There was reportedly a reluctance on the part of the Rockets to give up either of Smith Jr. (22) or sharpshooter Reed Sheppard (20), so the fact that this trade came to be without either player included on top of several other key young contributors like Thompson (22), Eason (24), or Cam Whitmore (20) makes this a surefire win. Durant seamlessly joins a starting lineup which struggled offensively to conjure up buckets in dire moments despite pushing Golden State to the brink of elimination. He can still be that go-to option down the stretch of tight games and is clearly an upgrade over Green after he disappointed by converting just 37.2-percent of his attempts for 13.2 points versus the Warriors.
It doesn't hurt that Durant is also reuniting with head coach Ime Udoka, who he worked alongside as members of the Brooklyn Nets when Udoka was a part of Steve Nash's coaching staff.
Phoenix Suns Trade Grade: D+
The Suns were between a rock and a hard place knowing that Durant had to be moved, understanding throughout the process that no one was going to part with a treasure's trove worth of assets for someone of his age, injury history, and expiring contract. A young guard in Green, pesky 3-and-D wing in Brooks, and some draft capital is fine, but looking at all of the moves which led up to this moment, you can't help but feel like Phoenix's incompetence has finally caught up with it.
It cost the Suns Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and four first-round picks to bring aboard Durant in the first place, and all that came from it was a single playoff series won and plenty of headaches due to a dynamic between he, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal which never came close to gelling on the hardwood. The No. 10 pick they're now getting is the one they gave up for Durant in the first place, and after that, they won't control their first rounder until 2032.
Green's story still has yet to be written at just 23 years of age, but his shortcomings against Golden State still linger because that's how poorly he performed. His value plummets whenever his shot isn't cooperating, because he's not much for rebounding the basketball and can be a liability on the defensive end. Good luck to new head coach Jordan Ott because figuring out how to best utilize a three-man unit of Green, Booker, and Beal will be easier said than done.
