The major Kevin Durant domino has fallen. 

And when the dust settles, the Rockets will be positioned as legit title contenders — perhaps even more legit than this season, when they earned the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed — heading into 2025-26. 

The Suns are trading Durant to Houston in exchange for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in this week’s draft and five second-round picks, according to ESPN, ending weeks of speculation and rumors with what might go down as the blockbuster of the offseason.

Durant, who spent the last two-plus seasons in Phoenix and has one year and $54.7 million remaining on his contract, averaged 26.6 points per game during his 17th NBA campaign, but the Suns fell woefully short of any expectations that materialized when Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal ended up on the same roster — stumbling to a 36-46 record and even missing the play-in tournament. 

That only led to speculation about where Durant could get moved to, with the Spurs and Heat reportedly his other preferred trade destinations.

But the Rockets intrigued Durant, The Athletic reported last month, and ESPN added Sunday that the 36-year-old has a “strong relationship” with head coach Ime Udoka — who just landed a long-term extension after the Knicks requested to interview him for their coaching vacancy — dating back to their time with the Nets and USA Basketball. 

“Being a part of the Houston Rockets, I’m looking forward to it,” Durant told FanDuel TV’s Kay Adams on Sunday. “Crazy, crazy last couple of weeks, and I’m glad it’s over with.” 

Durant appeared at Fanatics Fest moments after news of his trade broke, but when asked for a live reaction while on the stage, he only said, “We’re gonna see, man. We’re gonna see.” 

In a way, that’s a fitting description for this next stop. Houston lost to the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, but it’ll return young cornerstones Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson and now add Durant, who won two titles with the Warriors and has been in search of an elusive third ring.

Durant started his career with the Thunder before joining the Warriors after nine seasons, and that was followed by stints with the Nets and Suns where he became part of Big 3s that ultimately crumbled. 

First, it was in Brooklyn with Kyrie Irving and James Harden.

Then, it was with Phoenix, who made the conference semifinals in 2023 after Durant arrived at the trade deadline but couldn’t get past the first round — or into the postseason at all — in the two seasons that followed. 

“I just felt like they wanted me to go,” Durant told Adams in a separate interview at Fanatics Fest. “They got what they wanted, and I got what I wanted.” 

Green, a 23-year-old guard, averaged 21.0 points per game last year and will give the Suns a strong backcourt alongside Booker.

Brooks, 29, is known for defense, strong 3-point shooting (39.7 percent from beyond the arc in 2024-25) and embracing the villain role, as he has been involved in various skirmishes and heated exchanges in recent seasons. 

Durant will join a different type of roster in Houston. The Rockets are still, to a degree, an emerging group. They haven’t made a deep postseason run with this core. 

One of the league’s superstars will be tasked with changing that. 

“When people can just hang your career in your balance like that and just choose what they want to do with your career, it’s a nerve-wracking feeling,” Durant told Adams. “But being able to kinda dictate what you want to do and being with a team that values you, I’m looking forward to it.”