The Philadelphia 76ers are completely idle for now with the 2025 NBA Draft coming in just a few days, but the league definitely did not wait for them to ring the bell on another blockbuster trade. Heck, not even the gravity of a Game 7 of an NBA Finals series was able to contain a deal that was waiting to explode.
After a ton of push-and-pull and weeks of incessant rumors surrounding Kevin Durant, the superstar finally got shipped by the Suns, sending him to the Rockets for a package which consists of Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Houston’s 10th overall pick in the draft, and five second-round selections. ESPN’s Shams Charania first broke the news.
From what has been reported, it appears that the 76ers were never really in the running for the 15-time All-Star, as expected. Still, given the way the Rockets struck such a ceiling-raising deal, Philly fans might at least ponder whether Daryl Morey and his crew could have topped what Houston utlimately gave up to acquire KD.
Daryl Morey could have done much better as the 76ers miss out on Kevin Durant
Morey, who was of course a former longtime executive for the Rockets, might have just been out-Moreyed pretty badly by Rafael Stone, who succeeded him as general manager in 2020. The consensus opinion for now is that Houston paid just the right price for Durant, potentially catapulting them into the higher echelon of contenders for next season.
Exercising such degree of restraint — to the point of complete no-participation — is pretty justifiable for the 76ers. However, the front office definitely could have asserted itself as being capable of usurping what the Suns got in return only if they did not pull out from or actually joined that bidding war early on.
Meanwile, the Suns are looking at a very bleak present and future. Green, who drew a lot of flak with his unreliable play for the Rockets, now joins a crowded shooting guard loop for Phoenix which already parades Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
Still, the Philadelphia 76ers definitely do not get any demerits by not partaking in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, although admittedly, it would have been pretty interesting to see how far Daryl Morey could have gone if the front office was tempted to make a legitimate run at the superstar to help bolster their chances to return to championship contention next season.