An NBA insider recently wondered if one-time All-Star Houston Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet's ominous new injury will have a major ripple effect on the fate of 15-time All-Star forward Kevin Durant.
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Houston made a series of moves to level up this summer.
The Rockets acquired Durant in an NBA-first seven-team blockbuster trade, while also signing new additions Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela and Josh Okogie. The Rockets had also brought back VanVleet on a team-friendly two-year, $50 million deal, and re-signed Steven Adams to essentially serve as a co-backup center alongside Capela.
What now for Kevin Durant?
VanVleet tore his ACL during an offseason mini-camp workout with teammates in the Bahamas, instantly dropping Houston out of the Western Conference's inner circle of legitimate NBA Finals contenders.
Although the Rockets are paying $54.7 million to three centers in Alperen Sengun and backups Capela and Adams, they're remarkably thin at the point.
With the 31-year-old VanVleet possibly doomed to miss the entire season, former No. 3 draft pick Reed Sheppard will likely take over starting point guard duties. Durant, Sengun, and rising All-Defensive Team wing Amen Thompson may be leaned upon to handle and make plays a bit more.
Sheppard was not even a consistent part of head coach Ime Udoka's rotation last year, averaging just 12.6 minutes in just 52 games (three starts) as a rookie.
Anthony Duckett of Rockets On SI wonders if the injury to VanVleet — and, thus, an injury to Houston's title chances — could prevent the Rockets from signing the soon-to-be-37-year-old Durant (his brother is Sunday) to an extension on his expiring $54.7 million salary this year.
Were Houston not to figure out an extension deal with the two-time league champ, Durant would hit the market as an unrestricted free agent next summer.
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The 6-foot-11 Texas product is still a potent scorer. But he can be a bit of a malcontent, and his ugly final season with the Phoenix Suns in 2024-25 ended in a 36-46 record and a lottery pick.
In 62 healthy bouts for Phoenix last season, Durant averaged 26.6 points on .527/.430/.839 shooting splits, 6.0 boards, 4.2 dimes and 1.2 blocks.
He may not quite be the force of nature he was during his Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors-era prime, but Durant is still one of the league's toughest offensive talents to guard, a three-level superstar.
The Rockets' short-term prospects might look bleak. But assuming VanVleet returns to health and Durant re-signs this summer or agrees to an extension before that, Houston (which finished 52-30 last year) definitely could rocket up into elite West terrain.
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