The Houston Rockets are looking to improve upon their 52-30 record, and the 38-year-old Kevin Durant is still performing at an elite level. He averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists over 78 games during his first season in Houston.
Despite all the positives heading into next season, there is ongoing speculation that Durant could be traded to or signing with a new NBA team soon. The 16-time All-Star has a player option for the 2027-2028 season.
Since departing from the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2016, Durant has yet to play more than three seasons for a franchise. The question is, how long will Durant remain a member of the Rockets? OnSI writers weighed in on the topic.
Tre Allen
“I think Kevin Durant’s future with the Rockets will depend on the team’s success this season . Last year he only appeared in one game in the playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers after he suffered injury and watched his team lose in six games. I expect the rockets to make the playoffs safely with their current roster and are cap of winning a first round matchup but I don’t know if they’ll have enough firepower to compete with OKC or San Antonio to make a realistic push to the finals. There’s been a lot of trade talks about Durant but I’m not sure if there’s many teams that are willing to trade for a 38-year-old with his current contract despite how talented he is. And if they do choose to move on from him the question is can Alperen Sengun step up as the No. 1 option especially down the stretch where Durant excels. I’m not sure if he can at this moment so I think the tandem of those two gives them the best chance to compete. I say let him play under the last two years of his contract and if the next two seasons are disappointing then they can trade him or let him walk.”
Ethan J. Skolnick
"This oddly feels like it, even though Durant is still the Rockets' best scorer and -- when he engages defensively in some fashion -- their best overall player. Houston has invested in its young core, and ideally one of those players (Alperen Sengun or Amen Thompson) takes a leap to franchise pillar. But if not, the Rockets may need to step back and reshuffle, so it might not make sense to have Durant around in his age 39 season. He probably can still score at a high level for a few more seasons, and he was durable last season, but this season represents the best shot for it to align with the talent in Houston. After that, if the Rockets don't reach at least the conference finals, there's probably a pivot, with Durant playing for a sixth team before he retires -- bringing his shooting and social media prowess."
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