The Phoenix Suns have already adjusted to life without Kevin Durant, and for his part the 37-year-old sure looked comfortable with his new team the Houston Rockets in their opening regular season game versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant going off for 32 points as his new side fell to the franchise that drafted him in a wildly entertaining double-overtime game.
It is not often that two teams can win a trade - but given the Suns wanted to change their culture and Durant wanted another opportunity to win a ring - for now at least it looks like that's exactly what has happened. Only time will tell if the Suns are going to be better than expected - and this take was ridiculous - but if nothing else the fanbase appears to be back onside.
Suns grateful to have avoided Reed Sheppard in Durant trade.
Prior to Durant joining the Rockets, all of the talk was on what kind of package Phoenix could get back for the superstar. In the end it was Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green and rookie center Khaman Maluach, but in another timeline Reed Sheppard could have been heading to The Valley. After all, the Suns need a long-term solution at the point guard position, and Sheppard could have been just that.
Anytime an OKC player sees Reed Sheppard guarding them pic.twitter.com/7006TsZX2R
— 🧘🏾♂️ (@bdrip1k) October 22, 2025
He also had some nice preseason outings, but the lesson as always when it comes to those games is that they don't actually matter. With Fred VanVleet out for the year after an ACL injury - and with the Rockets looking to make a statement against the defending champions - Sheppard was given the chance to impress. It did not go well...
It wasn't just that Sheppard looked out of depth offensively next to an all-timer in Durant, plus future greats in Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson. The defensive end is where it got ugly real quick, with league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander making a point of attacking the side of the court Sheppard was on anytime he had the ball in his hands.
Yes he's only 21-years-old and the learning curve now that he's on a contender is mercilessly steep. But it is hard to look at Sheppard's performance and not think that the Suns got three better players out of the trade for Durant. He may not be his final form in the league yet - but defensively at least - there is still such a long way to go.
The Suns are trying to build an identity on that end of the court, and Sheppard would not have helped at all. Better to have a dog in Brooks - plus an exciting rookie in Maluach - as well as a better pure scorer in Green. Had Sheppard gome to the Suns in any trade - which was surely on the table at one point - the vibes would be nowhere near as high right now. A welcome near miss.