Draymond & Baron React to Kevin Durant Being Traded To The Rockets

Uh, obviously the Phoenix Suns has agreed on a blockbuster trade, sending 15-time NBA All-Star, 2-time Final MVP Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for Draymond Green, Dillon Brooks, the number 10 pick in this year's NBA draft, and 5 second-round picks. Um, so just taking that into account, Obviously the deal is done now. You know, what's your take on these new look Rockets? Add KD in, you know.

Man, that was gonna be my—

Draymond Green.

That was gonna be my question to you. You know, I've been saying that KD is an upgrade when you think about what the Rockets needed. They need efficient scoring and what KD brings in presence, his offensive awareness, his defensive awareness, his overall— I'm aiming to win a championship. I think it's a fair trade, right? Um, I wanted to know how you felt because I was analyzing y'all game and y'all series as the reason why this trade happened. Because when you look at a Draymond Green And you look at Dillon Brooks and you say, when they played well, did the Rockets win?

More than likely, you know, they were—

Yeah, more than—

yeah, I'm sure.

I'm saying no, in, in that series against Golden State.

Oh, right. In that series, uh, Draymond Green had one great game, right?

They won. Dillon Brooks, let's say he was as consistent— he was consistent. Right, he didn't put, like he had a consistent series. Jalen Green had an up and down series, right?

Yeah.

Now you start looking at who could they rely on? VanVleet, Senghor, and Thompson.

Yep.

And so Thompson leapfrogged.

I would say that, here's what I was saying. I know no one gives him credit, but also I thought Jabari Smith was really good.

That's what I was saying. Yes, I thought so too.

And I thought Jabari Smith worked his way back from almost going the wrong way as the number 2 pick to like, hold on, I don't feel like I can compete at this level. And I think he worked his way back and will probably be in the starting lineup on this Rockets team moving forward. And I think well deserved. So, you know, when I look at it and, you know, you mentioned those two guys that, listen, anytime you can add a Kevin Durant, it's an upgrade. I don't care. Who you are as a team, any team in the world in basketball, if you add Kevin Durant, it's an upgrade. Now you start speaking on like, if you add Kevin Durant for Steph Curry, now those are different conversations. But if you're just, in this case, you know, or in most cases, you add Kevin Durant to the roster, it's going to be an upgrade. So make no mistake about it, you know, everybody trying to make like these conversation pieces. It's KD.

Yeah.

You add him to the roster, your roster is better. Now you talk about, now if you wanna discuss the business of basketball, then you have a different discussion when you start talking about salary and what happens with caps and all. That's a totally different question, but that's not what we're talking about here. What we're talking about here is you add KD to that team, is that team better? And where they struggled was You know, Jalen had a very tough playoff series. You'd like to think if he had a better playoff series, they win. Who knows? But you, you'd like to at least think that Dylan Brooks was, like you said, he was consistent all year. Uh, he played well. He shot the ball really well this year. Dylan Brooks is who he is. On a contract like Dylan Brooks on, you will always kind of be the throw-in piece.

Absolutely. Yeah.

You know, and, and that's just kind of the nature, nature of the business. I don't think Dylan Brooks was traded because Dylan Brooks didn't anything wrong in this situation. I think Dylan Brooks was traded because quite honestly, that's how this business works. And your contract make the money work. They want Kevin Durant, your contract make the money work. And you know, when you look at the way this team has been built, of course they're gonna trade, throw Dylan Brooks in to make that money work before they throw Jabari Smith in.

Dylan Green.

Or before they throw Tyrese. Like these young guys that were drafted by this general manager. Now, Draymond Green was as well. He ain't gonna just get rid of all the people he drafted. You know, he got rid of one. And so I think when I look at this, it's an upgrade. Uh, KD has his familiarity with Ime Udoka as a coach. Um, I think KD still wants to compete at a high level. And I think this team, like, when you look at the rosters of everywhere we heard KD may go, this team did the least gutting of a roster that a team may have had to do. To make an upgrade. To still make an upgrade and still keep this roster in a good spot. So that's what I think happens for the Rockets. That's the way I think it looks for them, for KD. Talk about Phoenix on the other hand, I think it's a little different situation, but for the Rockets, I think it's good. Also, shout out to Freddie V.

Got a new 2-year deal. Yep, shout out to Fred.

Deal to stay with the Rockets, well deserved, man. The way I saw him lead that team in the playoffs, like, and they gonna need his leadership. Yeah, I seen you. They gonna need his leadership with that team. I think with Fred's demeanor and how Fred go about things, and with KD and how KD go about things, I think it'll be a good match. Yeah, you get more— Exactly, some of the stuff that K don't wanna do, and people try to make it like an indictment on K's character, no. There's just some stuff that, we're all human beings, and there's some, we all have strengths, we all have weaknesses. And certain things that KD don't like to do, Fred will do that. And guess what? On a basketball team, in team sports, that's actually how it's supposed to work.

You need that.

And so, you know, I think this puts them in a really good position. I think they're obviously gonna be a team to be reckoned with. You expect Draymond Green to make a big jump after the playoffs he had. Had, um, you know, expect Tyrese and all those guys have made jumps. So it'll be interesting. I think, you know, I think that team is in a really good position, and I definitely think it's an upgrade.

Shout out to our boy Franville and Fleek again. I mean, I just, I, I totally agree.