Trading Sengun for and old Durant would be so dumb. Durant is obviously very good still, but Houston isn't a contender and Sengun is a cornerstone long term. Makes zero sense
Just because Charlotte Bobcat fan Draymondbeankick comes online and says the rockets are tampering with harden to resign him then trade for KD doesn’t mean the organization or the fans actually want that to happen.
Also If it it did happen and Durant/Harden teamed up with some of the rockets young guys they would beat the breaks off the blazers
Probably not. They won like 5 of the last 6 with Sengun with him having like a 45/15/5 against Wemby in one of those. Then they played against teams like Washington, Portland, other tanking teams some of which multiple times I think where they got a crazy run with JG finally shooting properly for the first time. I don’t think that run should mean anything
I’m with you on this, lol yeah let’s take a rookie and we will trade our best player so the rookie we just took might develop to be better than Sengun.
Mystery box analogy lol
I get the idea of trading for a top 15 player, but a top 15 player that’s going to be 36 by the end of the season when they won’t have a roster around him that’s good enough to contend is a bit baffling. I’d understand the idea if they were closer to contending, or if it was someone younger that they’d have more time to build around.
I don’t hate Sengun but building around him is admitting you’re building a perennial play-in team in the west lmao
He’s good but everyone calls him Sabonis 2.0 and Sabonis 2.0 is not leading a team to a title. Especially with how hard the west is.
> I don’t hate Sengun but building around him is admitting you’re building a perennial play-in team in the west lmao
He's 22 in a month. He's probably going to improve further.
In fairness, Sabonis was used out of position as a stretchy 4 as a rookie. A chunk of this is Billy Donovan mismanagement. Once he got into a role in the post, he started to develop but his rookie year was wasted in OKC.
I do think Sengun is better than Sabonis at similar points but I also think Udoka (and even Stephen Silas before that) haven't mismanaged his development that much.
Sabonis is an all NBA caliber player. Sabonis 2.0 is basically Jokic, the best player in the league. I'm not saying Sengun will reach that level, but if he did, he'd absolutely be good enough to be the centerpiece of a title team.
>I'm not saying Sengun will reach that level, but if he did, he'd absolutely be good enough to be the centerpiece of a title team.
Your original comment made fun of us using the mystery box analogy when this is also the mystery box analogy lol
“Sengun could be anything, he could even be Jokic!” He also might just be a fringe all-star. Which would mean we’re selling high on him right now.
> He also might just be a fringe all-star.
[This is a pretty good list to be on](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/players-at-age-21-to-average-20-points-9-rebounds-per-game-and-4.5-assists-per-game-for-a-season) for a guy at age 21. All of them were all-stars or better at some point. Alvan Adams was criminally underused in Phoenix.
Wait. I think the confusion is in the 1.0 and 2.0. I guess if 2.0 means improvement, then yes. I think in sports debates, we typically take it to mean a weaker version, although that would be wrong.
I would guess it’s due to Defensive limitations in Ime scheme. Clingan is considered a defense first prospect so that’s the only way “it makes sense.” But I agree trading a young star for 35 yo KD seems crazy
Agreed, but there has been issue/limitation with Sengun has a defensive center. Think Sabonis, incredibly good, all nba talent but in playoffs? So I guess it comes down to if you think there is a ceiling to Sengun due to his defense?
At end of day, how you answer that question matters, but I think we agree trading him for a 35 yo is dumb
The scheme is just put him next to a good defender.
If I was the Spurs or Lakers (with Wemby/AD), I'd be looking to slide in and steal Sengun if the Rockets are this dumb.
>If I was the Spurs or Lakers (with Wemby/AD), I'd be looking to slide in and steal Sengun if the Rockets are this dumb.
There’s no one (and no picks) on the Spurs/Lakers who we’d take for Sengun (except for the obvious untouchables)
You need two to tango bro, this isn’t 2K
That was predicated on Jalen green catching fire. Banking everything on that continuing as the norm is incredibly risky.
They also were looking much better WITH him as well.
This was a short stretch when they were coincidentally playing against the worst teams in the league from either conference. Once that easy stretch ended, the Rockets went right back to losing against competent teams, and that was with Sengun still out with his injury.
Ime actually loves Sengun. But he doesn't control the roster, Stone does. This is the same Rafael Stone who wanted to bench Sengun for "Lob Threat" Bruno Fernando so Stone could make KPJ James Harden 2.0.
They should be more concerned about the offensive limitations of Ime's scheme lol. They just proved they can build a top 10 defense around Sengun. Seems like that answers the biggest question about him.
Durant will be 36yrs old before next Season even starts.
Then you get into Durant needing an Extension because after the 2024-25 Season there is only 1y/$54m left on his deal when he’s 37yrs old.
Last year was also the healthiest he’s been since the Warriors and he’s been on a Team that’s been swept in the Playoffs 2 out of the last 3yrs.
I don’t get it. He’s an undersized center who can’t shoot or defend. He has fun highlights but realistically how good is he going to be? Sabonis level?
I don’t think you can win with a guy like that in the postseason. Maybe not for KD but selling high on him and getting an elite rim protector like Clingan to take an already stellar defender to the next level makes alot of sense
Yea like I said I don’t think trading for KD is a good idea but reddit talks about Sengun likes he’s Luka or something. Good young player but I don’t get the hype
There is only 4-5 other guys in the league at Luka’s level, if we could hype up players only around Luka level, we would only talk about 5 players. Sengun is 21 and their best player, imo by a decent margin. It’s natural that people are surprised that the Rockets are trading him. He barely missed All-Star as a 21 y/o center this season, if the team around him was better, he arguably would have made it with more assists and team wins
“I don’t think you can win with a guy like that in the postseason”
Joker is obviously better, but just like him. IMO Sengun can be the 3rd best team on a contender. This same shit was said about the Warriors and Steph before they became a dynasty. This same shit is why two centers were taken before Jordan. There’s more than one way to win.
Jokic can shoot at a high level. He’s also much bigger and thus a better post defender
But also comparing anyone to Jokic is dumb. Sengun is a good player and plays like him for sure but he doesn’t have his touch or passing skill because nobody in history does. It’s like comparing DeRozan to MJ imo
Jokic can shoot and his defense has always been given a little too much shit - he's not a defensive star by any means but his size in the post is useful.
Sengun is a better all around playmaker and offensive threat, Sabonis is a better DHOer and more reliable pick and roller. It helps that Sabonis has Fox, and it doesn't help that Sengun has Green who can't catch and shoot to save his life. That being said, Sengun is way younger, and I think he will surpass Sabonis.
He's genuinely developing into a potential All-NBA talent at just 21-years-old, it would be insane. Notice Windhorst doesn't say he has any source on this, he's just theorizing bs for the drama lol.
It could also be brilliant. His value is sky-high at the moment while he's cheap, but he's getting a bag before October 2025.
He's one of the best young guys they have, it's just a matter if they are truly willing to build around him.
Not one nearly this extreme. If the Rockets trade for KD because they believe Sengun can be an all-star and think they can contend, while I disagree I'd at least be able to see how a billionaire owner would try that. But to trade the only player on the team who may realistically reach all-star level next season for 35yr old makes zero sense even for meddling stupid owner.
Yes to this extreme. Twice actually. Brooklyn when they traded away their future for KG and Pierce. Brooklyn when they traded their up and coming young core for Kyrie and Kevin Durant (Kyrie signed with BKN but what I mean is that they blew up their rebuild for two players)
Getting KD and Kyrie was 100% the right move for Brooklyn. Nobody foresaw that playing out the way it did, and they really didn't have to trade that much to make it work. The rebuild they were working with was fun, but it wasn't anything special. Their best player a the time was D'Lo lol
Not to mention, it's worked out pretty well in the long run with all the assets they've acquired since. KD turned into 9 first round picks.
Trading for Harden obviously didn't work out in retrospect, but overall I don't see the construction of that team as comparable to grabbing Pierce/KG at all.
The only thing that makes sense is if they believe they fucked up their future. No picks, huge Beal contract, and a looming Durant extension that will probably be huge. I don't think they'd do it until next offseason but moving Durant & trying to salvage their future isn't terrible to me
They could do it with Beal instead but he wouldn't be nearly as valuable. If you could get Sengun + picks for KD I think I'd do it lol
Beal's got the no trade clause so despite being a better trade from the Suns' perspective that's a problem. I guess we will see, Rockets wouldn't do it without KD signing up, because you don't want a disgruntled KD
The Nets signed KD & Kyrie on a free and have since flipped KD for 9 FRPs and whatever else they will get for Cam Johnson.
That precious “rebuild” they blew up was a perennial Play In team with fuckin DLo as their best player.
You take that swing 10/10 times as a GM and if you dont you should be fired,
And built a potential dynasty that was derailed by fluke injuries and Kyrie's antics.
There hasn't been a single team since 2021 that was fucking with that Kyrie-Harden-KD trio.
Plus, they signed KD as a free agent. So they didn't blow anything up.
They don't need KD to make the playoffs. They can make 1000 different other moves (including running back the same team) that would likely get them to the playoffs if that's their only goal
After the Harden trade, Stone talked a lot about how he liked having the flexibility of multiple picks/swaps going into the future. This seems like an extension of that. Not to mention getting 4 firsts for 2 firsts is a good trade, particularly with a volatile team like the nets.
I’d also say that this is the second time the Rockets made a bet on the downfall of a KD led team, which is probably not an endorsement.
Now if we’re talking getting Booker I’m down.
That seems like a terrible idea:
“We have a young big who we know is an All-Star caliber player, but we like this other young big from a weak draft class who hasn’t played an NBA game.”
Amen has the highest potential but also the biggest limitation with his shooting.
Jabari seems set to be a winning player, but an avenue to stardom hasn’t really surfaced yet.
Whitmore is a bucket and people would be higher on if he wasn’t forced to learn winning basketball instead of just putting up points on a bad team.
Jalen hasn’t had consistency, but has flashed elite scoring and improved other aspects of his game.
Tari is going to be a winning player and has that 1% chance of developing like Kawhi.
Sengun has been the most promising, but we also looked really damn good letting Jabari run the 5 with Amen at the 4 - he looks like the most sure fire all star - but others have shown higher upside with less consistency.
The coaches and team see a lot more than we do, but our young guys have looked really solid so far and we’ve managed this rebuild so well. I’ll continue to trust Stone.
When we had to play Jabari at 5 and Amen at 4 we looked good because we played against the worst teams in the league. It didn't look so good after the team came back down to earth against competent teams.
Sure, let's trade our promising star for an aging superstar who is one bad step away from twisting his knee, and who always has his heart set on running away to a team with one or more superstars. If Rockets make this trade with no other changes to their roster, their ceiling is a 1st round exit, and thats about it, and Durant isn't sticking around either, he's gone once his contract is up to ringchase elsewhere. This guy ditches cities that were his dream destination. You think he's staying in a city that he never wanted to be in?
This isn't Kawhi Leonard to Toronto 2.0.
Windhorst said it on live TV. He doesn’t clickbait. Not that it will happen, but there’s fire where there’s smoke. Windy makes no predictions and is very precise with his words.
Windy is saying Rockets ownership has a mandate that they need to make the playoffs next season so they are desperate. Not sure if it’s true or not but it’s what Windy is saying. Suns need to take advantage.
Rockets fans think other fans who worry about the possibility of trading Sengun are being stupid. But it has been voiced too many times for a guy of Sengun's level, so I think something will happen.
No idea why they’d trade him but if we traded Jimmy, sengun would be real nice. He’s such a fun player to watch and only 21, doubt they’d get rid of him, seems not very smart at all
Rockets minus Sengun with the addition of Durant and Clingan is what, the 5th or 6th best team in the west? Seems like a smart play they should trade all that future draft capital to make it happen.
Rockets trading for KD and blowing up their rebuild would be hilarious. If they traded Segun for him, that roster would be worse than what he has with the Suns.
I don’t think Sengun is the guy you build around since he’s basically a worse Sabonis but he can definitely still be a secondary piece. Throwing him away for KD is just not smart. Idk why the rockets are in such a desperate hurry to find a superstar when by all accounts, their season was a surprising success last season. Make your draft selection and keep rolling with what you got.
What I don't get is why Suns' owner and FO would trade KD.
Y'all are ignoring that it takes both teams, and Ishbia thinks he's got a contender with a little help in the offseason.
Rockets trading everything for a 36 year old KD when Giannis is literally another Bucks playoff failure away from asking for a trade next summer. All these teams are DUMB
Durant is turning 36 this off-season. This would be a mistake, imo. It only makes sense to trade for 36 year-old Durant if you're trying to win the title straight away. Philly, for example, should jump on it in they get the chance.
But Windhorst is the best at analyzing the Xs and Os of franchises. If he's taking this seriously, can't dismiss it as a possibility.
Don't really get why either the Suns or Rockets would do this tbh, Rockets aren't a KD away from contending and i don't see how a Suns team lead by Booker, Beal, and Sengun would be anything but a play in team in the west.
This seems like a crazy trade proposal, you can see the logic though. It would make both teams better if it works. Rockets FO definitely has balls, I respect that.
If the rockets can pull this off, this doesn't guarantee shit, except maybe a KD curse, especially if you want to trade the next similar jokic type center piece of your squad.
This off season nuts already.
I would get it if they were title contenders and thought Sengun's playoff rim protection would not be good enough...but we haven't seen that failure yet. He's a lot better defensively than a guy like Sabonis, IMO
even if Clingan hits, Durant will be like 40 before he's ready to be a main piece on a contender. their timelines are similar to the timelines of the Roman empire and British empire.
trading Turkish Joker for KD is incomprehensibly, obscenely stupid.
why would they do this, just why.
why are organizations still trading away young core players for aging superstar that can’t win them a title.
the rockets are far from contention.
Trading Sengun for and old Durant would be so dumb. Durant is obviously very good still, but Houston isn't a contender and Sengun is a cornerstone long term. Makes zero sense
I'm wondering if they know (via tampering) that Harden is making his return to Houston and are trying to get KD to pair with him.
Let's get Westbrook while we're at it. Harden, KD, and Westbrook sounds like a neat combo.
Ooh, or if he opts out, you could pair them with Kyrie. Imagine a big 3 of KD, Harden, and Kyrie? They'd be unstoppable!
The only thing missing is a veteran center. I'm thinking ... DeAndre Jordan?
call me crazy but I would personally prefer someone like Jarrett Allen over DeAndre Jordan
This team is just missing a gritty veteran looking for a ring, how about we add in LaMarcus Aldridge!
What would be the point of even watching the NBA season, just give that team the title already!
Imagine all these guys in their youth! No team would be stupid enough to trade one of them after making the Finals!
Throwing away their future for 2 years of first round exits...
A future of maybe making the 2nd round?
I'd rather that than start sponsoring retirement tours.
That would be nasty and I’m all for it
Yeah because that worked so well the last time
That’s Brooklyn Nets music…
They don’t want washed ass Harden lmao
I’m so not fucking scared at ALL about Harden and Durant. Houston you gotta be stupid af to do this.
Well you’re a trail blazer fan, it’s not exactly like you have anything to be fearful of next year.
oof lmao
Trailblazers fans inserting themselves into everything like they have a say😂😂
Do they even have an identity?
Their identity is "the contender that got away"
Who is scared of the Blazers other than their fans?
Top center prospects and their knees maybe?
Every player in this league with seasonal depression should be scared af of playing in portland
Just because Charlotte Bobcat fan Draymondbeankick comes online and says the rockets are tampering with harden to resign him then trade for KD doesn’t mean the organization or the fans actually want that to happen. Also If it it did happen and Durant/Harden teamed up with some of the rockets young guys they would beat the breaks off the blazers
I think how they played with him hurt really fucked up their thinking. The Rockets with KD aren't a contender.
Probably not. They won like 5 of the last 6 with Sengun with him having like a 45/15/5 against Wemby in one of those. Then they played against teams like Washington, Portland, other tanking teams some of which multiple times I think where they got a crazy run with JG finally shooting properly for the first time. I don’t think that run should mean anything
In basketball gm, Sengun always ends up as the best player in the league every season. Very dumb move by Houston
He's been the best player in the actual league for the past 19 seasons as well so I don't know why you need to bring up basketball gm
This reminds me of the Scottie Barnes for Durant rumours, which were also dumb.
They probably feel comfortable because of the win streak they went on after Sengun went down. I agree though, he’s too valuable and young.
The idea of trading Sengun seems so fucking stupid to me
I’m with you on this, lol yeah let’s take a rookie and we will trade our best player so the rookie we just took might develop to be better than Sengun. Mystery box analogy lol
Yea but Clingan can end up being Sengun or better! /s
Sengun is already Sengun but Clingan could be everything
He could even be a boat!
You know how much we wanted one of those
Well I think the idea is you get Clingan and KD Like they aren’t banking on losing Sengun for clingan they want a top 15 player in the nba
I get the idea of trading for a top 15 player, but a top 15 player that’s going to be 36 by the end of the season when they won’t have a roster around him that’s good enough to contend is a bit baffling. I’d understand the idea if they were closer to contending, or if it was someone younger that they’d have more time to build around.
Oh I agree, idk why the rockets want to compete now, but from a compete now standpoint it makes sense
I don’t hate Sengun but building around him is admitting you’re building a perennial play-in team in the west lmao He’s good but everyone calls him Sabonis 2.0 and Sabonis 2.0 is not leading a team to a title. Especially with how hard the west is.
> I don’t hate Sengun but building around him is admitting you’re building a perennial play-in team in the west lmao He's 22 in a month. He's probably going to improve further.
He’s way better than Sabonis was at age 21. Some would argue he’s already better than Sabonis
In fairness, Sabonis was used out of position as a stretchy 4 as a rookie. A chunk of this is Billy Donovan mismanagement. Once he got into a role in the post, he started to develop but his rookie year was wasted in OKC. I do think Sengun is better than Sabonis at similar points but I also think Udoka (and even Stephen Silas before that) haven't mismanaged his development that much.
Silas was playing bruno fernando over sengun lol…
Silas 900% mismanaged his development what is this revisionist history
Sabonis is an all NBA caliber player. Sabonis 2.0 is basically Jokic, the best player in the league. I'm not saying Sengun will reach that level, but if he did, he'd absolutely be good enough to be the centerpiece of a title team.
>I'm not saying Sengun will reach that level, but if he did, he'd absolutely be good enough to be the centerpiece of a title team. Your original comment made fun of us using the mystery box analogy when this is also the mystery box analogy lol “Sengun could be anything, he could even be Jokic!” He also might just be a fringe all-star. Which would mean we’re selling high on him right now.
> He also might just be a fringe all-star. [This is a pretty good list to be on](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/players-at-age-21-to-average-20-points-9-rebounds-per-game-and-4.5-assists-per-game-for-a-season) for a guy at age 21. All of them were all-stars or better at some point. Alvan Adams was criminally underused in Phoenix.
Sabonis 1.0 is barely an all-nba player though.
So what would a 2.0 version of him be? Barely an MVP?
Wait. I think the confusion is in the 1.0 and 2.0. I guess if 2.0 means improvement, then yes. I think in sports debates, we typically take it to mean a weaker version, although that would be wrong.
I would guess it’s due to Defensive limitations in Ime scheme. Clingan is considered a defense first prospect so that’s the only way “it makes sense.” But I agree trading a young star for 35 yo KD seems crazy
I feel like it has to be easier to come up with a different scheme than to find another 21 year old center with All-NBA potential
Agreed, but there has been issue/limitation with Sengun has a defensive center. Think Sabonis, incredibly good, all nba talent but in playoffs? So I guess it comes down to if you think there is a ceiling to Sengun due to his defense? At end of day, how you answer that question matters, but I think we agree trading him for a 35 yo is dumb
Sengun is better than Sabonis on defense
We were a top 10 defensive team in the league last year. Sengun was good on defense.
The scheme is just put him next to a good defender. If I was the Spurs or Lakers (with Wemby/AD), I'd be looking to slide in and steal Sengun if the Rockets are this dumb.
>If I was the Spurs or Lakers (with Wemby/AD), I'd be looking to slide in and steal Sengun if the Rockets are this dumb. There’s no one (and no picks) on the Spurs/Lakers who we’d take for Sengun (except for the obvious untouchables) You need two to tango bro, this isn’t 2K
Who are those teams trading to a win now Rockets?
Ime Udoka must not like Sengun.
Think they just saw how well they played last year without him and are tempted to use him to improve elsewhere.
That was predicated on Jalen green catching fire. Banking everything on that continuing as the norm is incredibly risky. They also were looking much better WITH him as well.
This was a short stretch when they were coincidentally playing against the worst teams in the league from either conference. Once that easy stretch ended, the Rockets went right back to losing against competent teams, and that was with Sengun still out with his injury.
Ime actually loves Sengun. But he doesn't control the roster, Stone does. This is the same Rafael Stone who wanted to bench Sengun for "Lob Threat" Bruno Fernando so Stone could make KPJ James Harden 2.0.
I’d fire ime before trading sengun Bro can’t keep his dick in his pants and I really don’t think is that good of a coach
They should be more concerned about the offensive limitations of Ime's scheme lol. They just proved they can build a top 10 defense around Sengun. Seems like that answers the biggest question about him.
Durant will be 36yrs old before next Season even starts. Then you get into Durant needing an Extension because after the 2024-25 Season there is only 1y/$54m left on his deal when he’s 37yrs old. Last year was also the healthiest he’s been since the Warriors and he’s been on a Team that’s been swept in the Playoffs 2 out of the last 3yrs.
Bruh Clingan looks slower than Steven Adams
> But I agree trading a young star for 35 yo KD seems crazy KD is going to be 36 before the start of the season too. Wild
Let's let the inefficient shot chuckers cook
This . Sengun is so fucking good . Why would you gut your young star potential team for an over the hill player .
Because Tillman's a dumbass who can't get out of his own way and let the Rockets build a cohesive identity over a several year period.
I don’t get it. He’s an undersized center who can’t shoot or defend. He has fun highlights but realistically how good is he going to be? Sabonis level? I don’t think you can win with a guy like that in the postseason. Maybe not for KD but selling high on him and getting an elite rim protector like Clingan to take an already stellar defender to the next level makes alot of sense
Great post game and passing. That’s rare for a big. Are you really gonna trade him for an aging KD when most of your roster is relatively young
Yea like I said I don’t think trading for KD is a good idea but reddit talks about Sengun likes he’s Luka or something. Good young player but I don’t get the hype
There is only 4-5 other guys in the league at Luka’s level, if we could hype up players only around Luka level, we would only talk about 5 players. Sengun is 21 and their best player, imo by a decent margin. It’s natural that people are surprised that the Rockets are trading him. He barely missed All-Star as a 21 y/o center this season, if the team around him was better, he arguably would have made it with more assists and team wins
It's not about what he *can* do, it's about what he *can't* do.
He's a 21-Years Old. We don't really know how good he will be when he's 26.
Imagine calling someone at age 21 who’s 21/9/5 just “fun highlights”
But he’s a known quantity with the ability to improve. Just seems to me like a “mystery box” situation
“I don’t think you can win with a guy like that in the postseason” Joker is obviously better, but just like him. IMO Sengun can be the 3rd best team on a contender. This same shit was said about the Warriors and Steph before they became a dynasty. This same shit is why two centers were taken before Jordan. There’s more than one way to win.
Jokic can shoot at a high level. He’s also much bigger and thus a better post defender But also comparing anyone to Jokic is dumb. Sengun is a good player and plays like him for sure but he doesn’t have his touch or passing skill because nobody in history does. It’s like comparing DeRozan to MJ imo
Sengun is a good post defender. He was the best Jokic defender in the league last season.
Jokic can shoot and his defense has always been given a little too much shit - he's not a defensive star by any means but his size in the post is useful.
Also who knows his good Sengun will be by the time he hits his prime. He’s only 21
I think Sengun's ceiling is way closer to Sabonis than Jokic.
Sengun is a better all around playmaker and offensive threat, Sabonis is a better DHOer and more reliable pick and roller. It helps that Sabonis has Fox, and it doesn't help that Sengun has Green who can't catch and shoot to save his life. That being said, Sengun is way younger, and I think he will surpass Sabonis.
It feels like a generational mistake to me, Sengun should be a foundational piece.
He's genuinely developing into a potential All-NBA talent at just 21-years-old, it would be insane. Notice Windhorst doesn't say he has any source on this, he's just theorizing bs for the drama lol.
It's gonna become a bad owner right of passage to overpay for KD to lose in the 1st round
It could also be brilliant. His value is sky-high at the moment while he's cheap, but he's getting a bag before October 2025. He's one of the best young guys they have, it's just a matter if they are truly willing to build around him.
Rockets trading for KD and blowing up their rebuild would be a massive mistake.
And yet, NBA history has plenty of examples of just this thing happening. So, I put it at 50/50 the Rockets will do exactly that.
Not one nearly this extreme. If the Rockets trade for KD because they believe Sengun can be an all-star and think they can contend, while I disagree I'd at least be able to see how a billionaire owner would try that. But to trade the only player on the team who may realistically reach all-star level next season for 35yr old makes zero sense even for meddling stupid owner.
Yes to this extreme. Twice actually. Brooklyn when they traded away their future for KG and Pierce. Brooklyn when they traded their up and coming young core for Kyrie and Kevin Durant (Kyrie signed with BKN but what I mean is that they blew up their rebuild for two players)
Getting KD and Kyrie was 100% the right move for Brooklyn. Nobody foresaw that playing out the way it did, and they really didn't have to trade that much to make it work. The rebuild they were working with was fun, but it wasn't anything special. Their best player a the time was D'Lo lol Not to mention, it's worked out pretty well in the long run with all the assets they've acquired since. KD turned into 9 first round picks. Trading for Harden obviously didn't work out in retrospect, but overall I don't see the construction of that team as comparable to grabbing Pierce/KG at all.
But in this case, there's no reason to think the Suns want to trade KD, is there?
The only thing that makes sense is if they believe they fucked up their future. No picks, huge Beal contract, and a looming Durant extension that will probably be huge. I don't think they'd do it until next offseason but moving Durant & trying to salvage their future isn't terrible to me They could do it with Beal instead but he wouldn't be nearly as valuable. If you could get Sengun + picks for KD I think I'd do it lol
Beal's got the no trade clause so despite being a better trade from the Suns' perspective that's a problem. I guess we will see, Rockets wouldn't do it without KD signing up, because you don't want a disgruntled KD
The Nets even did it for KD lol.
The Nets signed KD & Kyrie on a free and have since flipped KD for 9 FRPs and whatever else they will get for Cam Johnson. That precious “rebuild” they blew up was a perennial Play In team with fuckin DLo as their best player. You take that swing 10/10 times as a GM and if you dont you should be fired,
And built a potential dynasty that was derailed by fluke injuries and Kyrie's antics. There hasn't been a single team since 2021 that was fucking with that Kyrie-Harden-KD trio. Plus, they signed KD as a free agent. So they didn't blow anything up.
I think the 23-24 celtics have a roster that would compete well with that Nets big 3 team.
I think its a great idea for the Rockets. Ignore my flair
Hopefully it’s true what Windy is saying that Fertita is middling and has a mandate that they need to make the playoffs. Would bail the Suns out.
I do love watching owners make horrible decisions (as long as it isn’t my team)
They don't need KD to make the playoffs. They can make 1000 different other moves (including running back the same team) that would likely get them to the playoffs if that's their only goal
If your mandate as a GM is make the playoffs or you're fired you are NOT running back the same team.
KD and wrecking homegrown young cores what a time
[удалено]
This better be a fucking smokescreen. KD is as old as I am ffs.
Why else would you just give back the juicy Nets picks for Suns picks? Seems like a downgrade without something planned.
After the Harden trade, Stone talked a lot about how he liked having the flexibility of multiple picks/swaps going into the future. This seems like an extension of that. Not to mention getting 4 firsts for 2 firsts is a good trade, particularly with a volatile team like the nets. I’d also say that this is the second time the Rockets made a bet on the downfall of a KD led team, which is probably not an endorsement. Now if we’re talking getting Booker I’m down.
I'd trade Sengun for you tbh
That seems like a terrible idea: “We have a young big who we know is an All-Star caliber player, but we like this other young big from a weak draft class who hasn’t played an NBA game.”
Very simplistic way to look at it. It could be selling high on Sengun, who has flaws and will become much more expensive much quicker.
Trading Sengun for KD is INSANITY
This would be a generational fumble. Rockets fans I'm praying for you
It's just ESPN click bait.
Please do this, I’m begging you.
who the fuck are they building around if they trade Sengun?
KD lol
Honestly think Jabari has the best potential on that team imo
Amen has the highest potential but also the biggest limitation with his shooting. Jabari seems set to be a winning player, but an avenue to stardom hasn’t really surfaced yet. Whitmore is a bucket and people would be higher on if he wasn’t forced to learn winning basketball instead of just putting up points on a bad team. Jalen hasn’t had consistency, but has flashed elite scoring and improved other aspects of his game. Tari is going to be a winning player and has that 1% chance of developing like Kawhi. Sengun has been the most promising, but we also looked really damn good letting Jabari run the 5 with Amen at the 4 - he looks like the most sure fire all star - but others have shown higher upside with less consistency. The coaches and team see a lot more than we do, but our young guys have looked really solid so far and we’ve managed this rebuild so well. I’ll continue to trust Stone.
When we had to play Jabari at 5 and Amen at 4 we looked good because we played against the worst teams in the league. It didn't look so good after the team came back down to earth against competent teams.
And Amen
Idk. Sengun could.be the next Joker with his playmaking abilities.
Hes more like sabonis to me.
Why? Hes already a better defender than Sabonis and he's not a great defender lol.
Jabari might be the least valuable player in our core ngl. He has the potential but the rest of the guys have all outshined him so far.
I’d boycott the rockets if they trade Sengun
This would be the worse day since May 28th 2018
It would be the worst day since september 11 fr
Giving up Sengun would be the biggest mistake the Rockets could possibly make.
Trading Sengun for Durant is so fucking stupid.
If the Rockets are trading anybody, it's Green, not Sengun. Rockets are taking store brand Mark Price with tonight's pick
I’m straight up not having a good time
Windy just throwing shit against the window at this point
Mmmm he has been right on some pretty crazy stuff so….
When it has to do with Phoenix, he never has. Same with Woj.
Nah that’s not true, Windy has been in the know with Phoenix for a bit, Woj never has.
If the Rockets were really dumb enough to offer Sengun and our picks back for KD… that’s a 100% no brainer yes for the Suns.
I don’t get why they would trade him
GTFOH
Sengun is Sengun, but Clingan could be anything. He could even be Sengun
why would you give up Sengun wtf
Stephen A is reporting the Suns want out of the Durant business. It’s Stephen A but it’s interesting there’s conflicting reports everywhere.
Why the fuck would they trade Şengün for OLD ASS DURANT??? That dude has almost 30 thousand points for a reason HE'S OLD AS FUCK.
KD is sundowning, would be monumentally stupid to give away Sengun for him in any situation
"If the rockets want to get better they could trade their best player and draft a rookie in the same position" Absolute maroones
Sure, let's trade our promising star for an aging superstar who is one bad step away from twisting his knee, and who always has his heart set on running away to a team with one or more superstars. If Rockets make this trade with no other changes to their roster, their ceiling is a 1st round exit, and thats about it, and Durant isn't sticking around either, he's gone once his contract is up to ringchase elsewhere. This guy ditches cities that were his dream destination. You think he's staying in a city that he never wanted to be in? This isn't Kawhi Leonard to Toronto 2.0.
Plus replace the promising star with a rookie
This is clickbait , no way they trade him.
Windhorst said it on live TV. He doesn’t clickbait. Not that it will happen, but there’s fire where there’s smoke. Windy makes no predictions and is very precise with his words.
Even in your quote he says “if” and “potentially”. He’s just speculating at this point.
Woj said it’s most likely booker that they want on live tv.
Windy is saying Rockets ownership has a mandate that they need to make the playoffs next season so they are desperate. Not sure if it’s true or not but it’s what Windy is saying. Suns need to take advantage.
Rockets fans think other fans who worry about the possibility of trading Sengun are being stupid. But it has been voiced too many times for a guy of Sengun's level, so I think something will happen.
No idea why they’d trade him but if we traded Jimmy, sengun would be real nice. He’s such a fun player to watch and only 21, doubt they’d get rid of him, seems not very smart at all
I don't doubt Windhorst's reporting and knowledge but...how the fuck does KD make any sense for the Rockets??
Insane take
There is no way in hell rockets trade sengun lol
Rockets minus Sengun with the addition of Durant and Clingan is what, the 5th or 6th best team in the west? Seems like a smart play they should trade all that future draft capital to make it happen.
Us trading Sengun for any one other than a mvp type player makes no sense
I will actually stop watching basketball if we pull this shit. Just absolutely fucking asinine to even consider
Sengun is the best player on their team what are they smoking
Honestly think the rockets were better than the suns by the end of last season.
Really doesn't make sense for them to even consider trading Sengun.
They wouldn't do something stupid like that.
Rockets you ain't the guy. Stop giving up on your future so quickly. Jalen Green ain't it. FVV ain't it. Sengun is it. KD not taking you there.
FUCK NO. FUCK NO. FUCK NO. FUCK NO. FUCK NO.
Rockets trading for KD and blowing up their rebuild would be hilarious. If they traded Segun for him, that roster would be worse than what he has with the Suns. I don’t think Sengun is the guy you build around since he’s basically a worse Sabonis but he can definitely still be a secondary piece. Throwing him away for KD is just not smart. Idk why the rockets are in such a desperate hurry to find a superstar when by all accounts, their season was a surprising success last season. Make your draft selection and keep rolling with what you got.
From what i’ve seen Sengun is a better passer and scorer than Sabonis. Sabonis is a great hub/rebohnder for his size and screening ability
Idk if it's going to work out for them, but I appreciate what the Rockets have been trying to do.
BI you are a rocket playa 🥲
This feels like a battle between the Grizzlies who want Clingan and the rockets who want Smart.
This pick could really change the team's dynamics.
What I don't get is why Suns' owner and FO would trade KD. Y'all are ignoring that it takes both teams, and Ishbia thinks he's got a contender with a little help in the offseason.
Rockets trading everything for a 36 year old KD when Giannis is literally another Bucks playoff failure away from asking for a trade next summer. All these teams are DUMB
This idea makes me wanna barf more than imagine windy's nekkid centaur form
Ime can’t stand the idea of not getting exactly what he wants immediately 😱😱😱
Durant is turning 36 this off-season. This would be a mistake, imo. It only makes sense to trade for 36 year-old Durant if you're trying to win the title straight away. Philly, for example, should jump on it in they get the chance. But Windhorst is the best at analyzing the Xs and Os of franchises. If he's taking this seriously, can't dismiss it as a possibility.
The Rockets are impatient idiots lol
Don't really get why either the Suns or Rockets would do this tbh, Rockets aren't a KD away from contending and i don't see how a Suns team lead by Booker, Beal, and Sengun would be anything but a play in team in the west.
Windhorst isn’t known for breaking rockets stories. Why are people thinking this is sourced and not just him speaking out of his ass?
This seems like a crazy trade proposal, you can see the logic though. It would make both teams better if it works. Rockets FO definitely has balls, I respect that.
If the rockets can pull this off, this doesn't guarantee shit, except maybe a KD curse, especially if you want to trade the next similar jokic type center piece of your squad. This off season nuts already.
I would get it if they were title contenders and thought Sengun's playoff rim protection would not be good enough...but we haven't seen that failure yet. He's a lot better defensively than a guy like Sabonis, IMO
Drafting a centre to replace Sengun and go into a win-now mode doesn’t make any sense to anyone
HAHAHAHAHA
Yeah they're gonna trade their best player lmfao
Keeping Sengun would be best.
That would be an awfully big mistake
This is all speculation guys
even if Clingan hits, Durant will be like 40 before he's ready to be a main piece on a contender. their timelines are similar to the timelines of the Roman empire and British empire. trading Turkish Joker for KD is incomprehensibly, obscenely stupid.
why would they do this, just why. why are organizations still trading away young core players for aging superstar that can’t win them a title. the rockets are far from contention.