If the Phoenix Suns were hoping to trade either Devin Booker or Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets, those plans will need to be placed on hold. It's an unexpected development after Houston fell in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs and seemingly found reason to improve its roster.
Rather than going all-in on a Suns superstar who can take the team to new heights, however, Houston appears set on allowing its current timeline to progress undisturbed.
Phoenix is entering the 2025 offseason knowing that drastic changes are just over the horizon. It's already been reported that the Suns will work with Durant to negotiate a mutually beneficial trade, and Booker's future remains uncertain despite the optimism that he'll remain with the team.
According to Kelly Iko and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Rockets are reluctant to complete a trade for Durant—and noted that it was Phoenix that initiated previous conversations.
"While Durant is widely seen as the most attainable of that group, and he is known to be very interested in playing in Houston, team sources said the Rockets still have significant reservations about that possible partnership, in large part, because Durant’s age (36) would be so out of sync with their younger timeline. It’s worth noting that previous talks between the teams about Durant, team sources said, were initiated by the Suns."
To make matters worse, Houston was also interested in trading for Booker, but have since walked that potential trade offer back.
"The Rockets have previously held serious interest in the Suns’ Devin Booker, but team sources said that is no longer the case."
It's unclear how eager Phoenix truly was to move either Booker or Durant to Houston, but the fact that a potential trade partner has removed itself from such discussions is at least somewhat alarming.
Rockets rescind Devin Booker interest, reluctant to trade for Kevin Durant
Houston's concerns about Booker and Durant are admittedly out of the Suns' hands. Durant is, in fact, 36 years of age, will turn 37 before the start of the 2025-26 regular season, and has a long history of injuries that imply he could struggle to remain healthy in his late 30s.
Considering the Rockets are operating on a timeline that's seemingly built around 22-year-old rising stars Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson, it's admittedly easy to understand their trepidation.
Durant would still be an excellent fit on paper, possessing the generational scoring ability that true contenders so often depend on. Houston learned the hard way how difficult it is to win without a reliable No. 1 scoring option when they lost to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
Despite the fact that they scored just 104.0 points per game against Golden State, it appears Houston is unwilling to jump at the opportunity to add Durant, a four-time scoring champion.
Perhaps that will change as the offseason progresses, but for now, the Rockets have left the Suns searching for other options. Booker appeared to be on that list, as Iko and Amick reported that Houston has expressed interest in the four-time All-Star.
Unfortunately for Phoenix, the Rockets' priority is backing Green—meaning Booker isn't quite as appealing to them as he once was.
Houston would've been the perfect trade partner for the Suns
Other options will likely present themselves for the Suns to trade either Booker or Durant. The reason the Rockets rumor is so disappointing, however, is that Houston has an abundance of promising young players and draft capital that it may be willing to part with for the right player.
For a Suns team that's toeing the line between a retool and a full-on rebuild, completing a trade for long-term assets would undoubtedly be ideal.
Houston could part with as many as five future first-round draft picks in a potential trade, including two that it acquired from Phoenix. It also has a surplus of 24-and-under players fighting for a share of the minutes distribution.
That list includes the likes of N'Faly Dante, Tari Eason, Green, Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr., and Cam Whitmore—all of whom would improve Phoenix's long-term outlook.
The Suns must now hope that they can do something to persuade the Rockets to reconsider. If not, it will have officially lost one of the best options it has to make the most of a potential Booker or Durant trade. Unfortunately, it may need to wait until after the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes to do so.
Patience will be a virtue, but the Suns have every reason to fear that either Booker or Durant will net less of a return than they'd hoped for.