Kevin Durant isn't just a big-name addition to a Houston Rockets side that won 52 games with one of the youngest cores in the NBA. By that same measure, Houston is in no way replicating the formula that failed the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns when they acquired Durant.
What the Rockets have done by acquiring Durant is make a sincere leap from knocking on the door to emerging as genuine championship contenders in 2025-26.
A case could be made that Houston didn't need much to make that type of statement. It's coming off of a season in which it went 52-30 and ranked No.