There are definitely teams that would trade for KD. The Joker is not getting any younger so Denver might think that KD is the one player needed to get to their glory days.
That won't help. I did see something about Halliburton and KD being very tight off the court so maybe that's something to watch. I just think at his age, his contract, and his quirky personality, a team isn't going to be pushing to acquire him as much as another star would be pushing for him like with the Harden/Russ situation. I could see maybe a KD for Zubac, McConnell, filler and a pick maybe being something that could work out for both teams.... I dunno. After last night though seeing how KD sort of realized he's damn near 40 years old, and showed up on the bench for his teammates.... maybe the front office, and KD realize it's best to just run it back with FVV, Adams, and some minor deals. We'll see.... But I just feel strongly that if a KD deal is going to happen, it's really gotta happen at the star player level with THEM pushing to make the trade so they can play together. I just can't see Stone and another GM really seriously engaging each other and not finding reasons to move onto other easier trades.
https://www.theringer.com/2026/04/2...ant-trade-kawhi-leonard-giannis-antetokounmpo … OK, now let’s be serious: Something is rotten at Houston’s core that goes beyond its need for a steady point guard, a glass-mashing center, and a healthy primary option. There is no excuse for what we’ve seen throughout this humiliating first-round series—a level of mismanagement and disregard that’s compounded the seemingly dozens of crunch-time collapses endured during the regular season. But before we get into what comes next, I have to discuss what’s still happening—and why the status quo isn’t a solution. On a regular basis in this series, the Rockets just haven’t played like a team. There is no trust or effort to dig deep at the slightest sign of adversity. There’s no interest in helping one another on defense, and there are no creative solutions to mask their structural deficiencies. They had no response to the constant double-teams that baffled Durant in Game 2, and curious lineup combinations made a bad situation worse. And against the Lakers, who have no actual point guard, the regular season’s sixth-best defense has been stumped by this new, highly complex action called a “pick-and-roll.” … Now seismic decisions lie ahead, and literally no job is safe. No player is untradable, no coach unexpendable. This takes us to Udoka, someone who knows how to inject winning traits into a basketball team. Houston was pitiful when he was first hired in 2023, and the steady improvement it’s shown since his arrival has been enough to lure names like FVV and Durant. The Rockets have established a defense-first, accountability-always identity after finishing 27th, 30th, and 29th in defensive rating for three straight seasons under Stephen Silas. But Udoka can also be ruthless, hawking tough love without the love part. This Titanic-meets-iceberg playoff series against L.A.—in combination with his blunt criticisms and increasingly primitive playbook—may be the final straw for Udoka. (It did not help when he threw his players under the bus after Game 3—and then climbed into the driver’s seat to back over their dead bodies.) Whether it keeps Udoka or goes in a different direction, the next question Houston must ask is very simple: How close is it to winning a championship? This isn’t a simple exercise. The Rockets look broken, but they also won 52 games this season and had the sixth-highest net rating in the league. They were competent on both sides of the ball and had a foundational identity, even though they addressed their point guard problem with Band-Aids and bubblegum. If the honest answer is that they’re still pretty far from a championship, then it makes sense to trade Durant, who’s still playing at an All-NBA level and just logged his most regular-season minutes since he won MVP in 2013-14. How many teams would be willing to part with something valuable to get him? KD will be 38 years old with $90 million left on his contract heading into next season. He leaves behind a trail of lethargy wherever he goes, along with strange layers of passive-aggressiveness; it honestly can’t be said enough times how childish his burner boy persona really is. It’s not my place to psychoanalyze or explain that behavior, but I do know that it’s not exactly fostering a healthy workplace environment. In all three of his latest stops—Brooklyn, Phoenix, and now Houston—Durant has ultimately symbolized a lesson each team has had to learn from and move past to reach the next step of its life cycle. He is a blessing by way of a curse, and as his Hall of Fame career nears its end, you could drive an 18-wheeler through the space between Durant’s talent and how said talent positively affects his surroundings. The Rockets thought that KD was their missing piece, and instead, there’s a chance they’ll turn him into a stepping stone this summer. It turns out that your best player shouldn’t also be a mercenary. But despite that, the Heat, Timberwolves, Blazers, Mavericks, Pistons, Knicks, Raptors, Hawks, Magic, Lakers, Nuggets, Hornets, Bulls, Wizards, Warriors, Pacers, Jazz, Sixers, Celtics, Cavaliers, Bucks, and Clippers would all have varying degrees of interest—pending how the rest of these playoffs go. The last three teams on that hypothetical list are the most interesting: If the Rockets go the other way, keep Durant, and believe they’re not that far from making the Finals, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, or Donovan Mitchell would presumably be on their radar. (A few other names who could squeeze into this conversation: Karl-Anthony Towns, Darius Garland, and Joel Embiid.) It’s hard to picture the Rockets trading Durant for a facsimile of the package they gave up to get him. Instead, I think they’ll keep KD and pivot skyward with an even bigger blockbuster move. And even if he slashes their runway in half, Leonard, to me, is the most interesting name worth pursuing. Would the Rockets give up Sengun, Dorian Finney-Smith, and two first-round picks for a 34-year-old on an expiring contract—who’s coming off the best offensive season of his career? I don’t see why not. Sengun is 11 years younger than Kawhi. He’s a two-time All-Star who averaged 20.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game this season. There’s inherent risk in swapping him out for a mercurial, injury-prone forward who’s on an expiring contract. But—even though I’m a big fan of Houston’s center—there are long-term fit issues and defensive concerns that make it harder and harder to envision him playing huge minutes on a team that can win three straight playoff series. The Rockets shouldn’t sob if he’s still on their team next year, but in an alternate world where they’re entering 2026-27 with VanVleet, Adams, Durant, Leonard, Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard, Clint Capela, and another role-playing big man to be named later, their ceiling would go up several levels. (Depending on what happens with Eason’s restricted free agency, they could possibly even duck the tax.) Acquiring Antetokounmpo would be a little more complicated. I do wonder how thrilled general manager Rafael Stone would be about having that as the endgame of such an admirably executed rebuild. Giannis is an extremely expensive injury risk (even riskier than Kawhi), and the trade package going out to Milwaukee would also probably be more costly than the one for Leonard. What about Sengun, Smith, and three or four first-round picks? It sounds weird to say that trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo is a contingency plan, but you could have said the same thing when Houston initially acquired Durant. The big difference between then and now is that this time the Rockets won’t be shaking up their roster from a position of strength. Last season, they could’ve kept Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, and the 10th pick in the draft; bet on their continuity and internal development; and ended up fine. But after puking all over themselves in the first three games of his series—and functionally taking a step backward from where they were a year ago—the Rockets should absolutely be considered the clubhouse favorite to get Antetokounmpo. They aren’t the most desperate team in the league—the Rockets can still trade as many as six picks on draft night, and Thompson’s upside is still incredibly high—but running things back is almost certainly not worth considering.End of article
From 'Our long awaited Closer' 'Numero Uno' to 'Stepping Stone'. Rafael is a disgraceful GM. He is not made for the NBA. 'Casino Black Jack' GM.
As the PRINCIPLE. Again he's worth more than many think. Level of play and contract. We're not trading Amen.
And if I might add, the author of that Ringer article.....his trade proposals are, uh, dogs**t. Why not just give up every first rounder we have until doomsday + Sengun + Smith + Reed etc etc.
I wonder if there's any chance at all Giannis stays in Milwaukee. Probably not, but if they're desperate enough to make such a trade and Giannis/KD agree to giving it a shot, how would we feel about something like Turner + Kuzma + Rollins for KD + Clint?
Lol. Kawhi's knee or leg was barely hanging on at the end of the season. Stone would be certifiable insane if he traded for Kawhi. Not to mention that Kawhi only wants to play in Cali, he probably would retire being traded to Texas.
That report reads more like someone playing fantasy GM with the Rockets than someone that has sources. I would like to trade him for a good deal but if I have to give up assets to trade him, hell no.
It reads worse than another team's fanboy jerking off to the ESPN Trade Machine. Kawhi Leonard is on death's door. We already got an over-the-hill dude and he's (possibly) hurt for the postseason. (Well, butt-hurt, anyway: "Nine turnovers? WTF is that?" "Then do it yourself. F*** this s***.")
Right. Fire Stone into the F'n sun if he's giving up TWO first round picks for Kawhi or to get off KD. If the scenario is KD demands a trade and we have to give up picks to get off of him, just sit his ass for a season and tell him to decline the PO, whatever. We can't be trading TWO First rounders AND SENGUN...wtf. Sengun in any trade should be getting assets back. He's a 23 year old 2x all-star on a team friendly contract, in what world do you have to give up assets to trade him AND KD... The media in their Rocket trade scenarios always have us getting obliterated to not even become marginally better. In that scenario we trade both of our only all-stars and give up two first round picks. Absolutely insane. Not even Stone is that dumb...I hope.
I can criticize Stone. Almost as easy as breathing. But, no, I don't reckon he wants to get publicly bent over. I don't take the proposed trade scenarios seriously. Giannis isn't pie-in-the-sky, for example, and you'll find pros and cons in trading for him. But at least if these guys would remember Giannis is detritus compared to his championship self. The author himself mentioned Giannis' injury history, then turns around and makes an idiotic trade suggestion, as if he works for the Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce.
The last three teams on that hypothetical list are the most interesting: If the Rockets go the other way, keep Durant, and believe they’re not that far from making the Finals, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, or Donovan Mitchell would presumably be on their radar. (A few other names who could squeezeinto this conversation: Karl-Anthony Towns, Darius Garland, and Joel Embiid.) Giannis been talked about a million times so I won’t get into him Kawhi Leonard? Always injured, and been a loser ever since he left Toronto Donovan Mitchell? Another loser. Cavs needed him on the road against the Raptors and he proceeded to sh*t his pants both games. KAT? Loser Garland? Injury prone. Also a loser Embiid? Are you fcking kidding me? They gotta be trolling with this one…
Only way I'm taking Embiid back (and preferably for KD, not Sengun) would be if we're getting VJ Edgecombe in the deal. Kid is going to be a stud so I might consider eating that godawful contract and literally just buying Joel out if it gets us a prospect with a real chance at becoming a #1
well we know that’s never happening, and Stone might be dumb enough to want Embiid because he’s a “superstar” and recent MVP who was averaging 30+ just 2 seasons ago
