The Rockets and the Suns reached an agreement on a blockbuster deal on a trade involving Kevin Durant to get done before the NBA draft. The Suns received Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th pick of the 2025 draft, and a collection of five second-round picks. The Rockets get the former MVP and talented scoring phenom in Durant. Like all trades, there will be winners and losers, but this will be a discussion about the impact of the Kevin Durant deal from a fantasy basketball perspective.

There were several suitors for Durant leading up to this deal. The Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, and Minnesota Timberwolves were all reportedly in the mix to acquire the 15-time All-Star from the rebuilding Suns. The Spurs didn’t want to part with both the second-overall pick of the 2025 draft and Stephon Castle, which the Suns wanted as part of any deal framework. The Wolves offered an intriguing mix of young talent, Rudy Gobert, and the 17th pick of the 2025 draft.

The Suns ultimately sought a high draft pick this year and, despite a lower-than-expected haul for KD, chose the Rockets’ package, which included the 10th pick. The Rockets, who have been rumored to have wanted to part ways with Green as early as the middle of the 2024-25 season, were able to land Durant at a “discount,” considering they didn’t need to let go of other promising pieces like Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, or Reed Sheppard.

Mar 30, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) and Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) fight for position in the first half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The arrival of Green to Phoenix creates a bit of a logjam in their backcourt with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal still on the Suns’ roster. This shouldn’t be an issue for much longer, as Beal is expected to be traded or bought out by the Suns.

Bradley Beal will get traded or bought out by the Phoenix Suns, per @Gambo987. https://t.co/UqivPqN4Eb pic.twitter.com/OrMRuGz1ei

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 22, 2025

How does the Kevin Durant trade affect the fantasy outlooks of players on both teams?

Potential Starting Five:

PG: Fred VanVleet (Player Option)
SG: Amen Thompson
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Jabari Smith Jr./Tari Eason
C: Alperen Sengun

Durant finished as the 11th-best player based on 9-cat per-game rankings in 2024-25. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.6 treys, and 4.2 assists per game. Despite being 37 years of age, KD has a lot of gas left in his tank. His ADP was already sliding, clocking in at 19 on Yahoo! and 25 on ESPN platforms. Expect KD to fall to the second round of most standard 12-team league drafts. This is not because he’s now in Houston, but because he’s an aging superstar. He’s now on a legit contender in the Western Conference, so there’s a lot of motivation for him to play in games.

However, the Rockets also are deeper than the Suns, so resting KD towards the end of the regular season should be expected. Consider KD to have a top-15 floor with a top-7 ceiling in fantasy. The question will be “How many games will he play?”

Amen Thompson is hands down one of the big winners of the Kevin Durant trade. He’s coming off a breakout season, and Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks’ departure opens up a ton of minutes at shooting guard for him. Thompson has shown that he’s a blossoming two-way star. His athleticism and skills have translated well onto the stat sheet, providing fantasy managers with multiple counting stats to enjoy. He finished just outside the top 50, averaging 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. He’s primed for another big leap in 2025-26 and could begin flirting with top-25 value. Target him aggressively.

Fred VanVleet had a disappointing season in 2024-25, finishing outside the top-70 for the first time in a few seasons. KD’s arrival does help reduce some pressure on him. This should bode well for a bounce-back campaign. Durant is superior to Green, and FVV should see an improvement in his FG% (37.8%). VanVleet is turning 32 on February 25, so he’s best drafted outside of the top-35 to maximize fantasy value.

There should be little to no change in Sengun’s outlook. Managers will continue to overdraft him. That’s despite his top-90 finish in 2024-25. He should be considered a top-75 asset, but expecting him to flirt with top-30 is simply being too generous. Yes, he’s talented, but the holes in his game (especially on defense) need to be addressed before he can shine in fantasy.

Expect a steady timeshare situation between Eason and Smith. This will continue to limit both their upside in fantasy. Thanks to his rebounding (6.4 RPG) and steals (1.7 SPG), Eason continues to hold the more fantasy-friendly game. Smith barely squeaked into the top 150 (148) in 9-cat scoring. This was mostly due to his lackluster scoring (12.2 PPG) and underwhelming contributions in defensive categories.

Potential Starting Five:

PG: Devin Booker
SG: Jalen Green
SF: Dillon Brooks
PF: Bol Bol (Unrestricted FA) / Pick 10 / Ryan Dunn
C: Nick Richards

Likely Traded: Bradley Beal

It’s tough to project the Suns’ outlook at this point. The Durant trade was just the first step in their pivot to a rebuild. The team will likely make more moves in the offseason. Their roster is a messy work in progress at this point. They have too many guards and wings. They are sorely lacking depth in their frontcourt.

The acquisition of the 10th pick and the handful of second-round picks suggests the Suns are gearing towards a youth movement. They will likely retain Booker and build a team around him. This makes the 32-year-old Beal an odd man out here. This lends credence to the rumors that he won’t be on the Suns’ roster to start the season.

With Durant gone, Devin Booker will be the only top-shelf player for the Suns when it comes to fantasy. He finished just outside of the top 30 but should easily find his way back into the top-20 conversation. This follows the “star player on a bad team” theory that Booker will have to deliver in fantasy because no one else will. This can be fallacious thinking as it does not follow that he will be more productive just because he’s not surrounded by other superstars. It only helps Booker’s cause from the point of view of role and opportunity, factors that were already in place from last season.

Booker will be a great source of points, threes, and assists while not hurting fantasy teams’ FG%. But being the only star has its downside. There is a risk that Booker’s FG% and turnovers take a hit, especially if he’s the only one opposing teams need to focus their defense on. Despite that, he should have a comfortable fantasy floor in the 30s range.

Jalen Green can score (21.0 PPG), but his high-volume scoring comes at the cost of efficiency (42.3% FG). He’s also a liability on defense, averaging 0.9 steals and 0.3 blocks per game. Playing him alongside Booker gives Phoenix one of the worst backcourts in the league, defensively speaking. Green will help score the ball, but not do anything else in other areas that matter when it comes to winning games.

The high-flying score-first (score-only) guard will need to use his athleticism on the other end of the floor if he’s to improve in fantasy. Either that, or improve on his lack of shooting efficiency from the field. He’s a late-round points booster target until further notice.

Depending on who the Suns select with the 10th pick, that player could make some noise in fantasy from Day 1.

Grayson Allen will be someone to watch if the Suns don’t move him. He can be a sneaky source of efficiently scored 3s and some steals. He’s someone to consider as a late-round flyer pick.

Ryan Dunn is intriguing. While he’s still on the raw side, the Suns have shown an openness to give him minutes. It behooves them to work on his development. He’s a player who can grow into a two-way threat, but that’s likely further down the road. At this point, it will be great to see him function as a viable 3-and-D wing for Phoenix. Depending on how things shape up for the Suns’ 2025-26 roster, Dunn’s pathway to fantasy relevance could see a big bump.

It’s a long shot for Bol Bol (if re-signed) to get consistent minutes. This limits his fantasy appeal. However, he’s shown some nice flashes of fantasy viability. He’s been a streaming asset for a boost in blocks. Keep him on watch lists for now.