When the Phoenix Suns traded Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets final offseason, the expectation was that this may very well be Durant’s final NBA cease. He was seen because the lacking piece for a younger Rockets squad, giving them a high-level scorer that might open up their offense.
Nonetheless, final yr was a rocky one for Houston. They began off the season scorching and regarded like a reputable championship contender. They faltered in the direction of the second half of the season and had a tumultuous publish All-Star break stretch that included rumors of a fractured locker room. This was because of an alleged burner account that was ran by Durant, trashing his teammates.
The Rockets by no means actually recovered from that, whether or not it was really Durant’s or not. They went down 3-0 to a really wounded Lakers crew within the first spherical and whereas Durant didn’t play for many of that collection, it was a disappointing finish to the yr. It might result in a situation that nobody actually noticed coming.
Houston and Durant could also be heading for a faster breakup than anticipated
There have been rumblings concerning the Rockets wanting into making main strikes with their roster, however they weren’t in on the Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown sweepstakes, so main strikes possible received’t be occurring.
Moreover, if the crew isn’t in a position to shake off the unhealthy vibes from the second half of final yr and get off to a sluggish tart, the rumblings will solely persist, and it may result in Durant getting much more pissed off.
Now we have seen this film with Durant earlier than. In Golden State, he acquired into it with Draymond Inexperienced, and it led to awkward vibes for the remainder of the yr and Durant left the next summer time. In Brooklyn, he acquired disgruntled, and compelled his technique to Phoenix.
With the Suns, he was by no means in a position to construct a severe rapport with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal and there have been studies of Durant being distant from the crew. The purpose is that it is a theme with Durant and it tends to harm groups greater than assist.
That’s no knock on him as a participant. He’s nonetheless extraordinarily productive and among the finest gamers within the sport. He’s an all-time nice and impacts profitable at a particularly excessive degree. However, he and the Rockets do must do some soul looking in the event that they wish to contend subsequent yr. Which means some powerful conversations with management and teammates, in any other case it may result in Durant forcing his method off one more squad.
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