The Kevin Durant era in Phoenix promised much, but ended up being a total disaster. A parting of ways between Durant and the Phoenix Suns was inevitable this offseason, and he was finally traded to the Houston Rockets on Sunday.
The Suns didn’t get a lot in return for Durant, as the Rockets only sent Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and five second-round picks as part of the deal. The Suns were never expected to get a great haul here, but this was still underwhelming for a player of that caliber.
Here’s what the Suns’ starting lineup looks like after dropping the curtain on the Durant era.
PG: Devin Booker
SG: Jalen Green
SF: Dillon Brooks
PF: Ryan Dunn
C: Nick Richards
Devin Booker looks set to be the starting point guard and is easily the biggest bright spot when it comes to the Suns. Booker averaged 25.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in 2024-25.
While some have wondered if Booker would be on his way out along with Durant, that doesn’t seem to be the case. The 28-year-old is expected to sign a two-year, $150 million extension with the Suns, and it will be interesting to see how well he fares after becoming the undisputed best player on the team again.
Jalen Green will be Booker’s new backcourt partner, and he is someone who has a lot to prove. The Rockets selected Green with the second pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, and he hasn’t quite lived up to the hype surrounding him back then.
Green averaged 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2024-25 while shooting 42.3% from the field. He helped the Rockets end their four-year playoff drought, but then struggled massively in the postseason.
The Rockets lost to the Golden State Warriors in seven games in the first round, and they could have won if Green had played anywhere near his best. He averaged just 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game against the Warriors, which led to his stock being at an all-time low at the moment. Here’s hoping for the Suns’ sake that Green is able to turn things around.
Dillon Brooks slots in at small forward, and he’ll give the Suns a much-needed boost on the defensive end. They had a 117.7 defensive rating in 2024-25, which ranked 27th in the NBA.
Brooks averaged 14.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in 2024-25 for the Rockets. He received some votes for the All-Defensive teams and will help address some of those defensive woes for the Suns.
As things stand, Ryan Dunn is likely to replace Durant as the power forward in the lineup. Dunn had a solid rookie campaign, averaging 6.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in 2024-25.
Dunn looked like he could be the biggest steal of the draft (28th pick) when he got off to a red-hot start from beyond the arc. The 22-year-old cooled down later, but still provided value with his defense. The Suns would be hoping Dunn can take a leap in his sophomore season.
Lastly, we get to Nick Richards, whom the Suns acquired from the Charlotte Hornets earlier this year. Richards averaged 9.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game for the Suns. He is a solid starting-caliber big man, but struggles defensively, and you wonder if the team will look for an upgrade this offseason.
All in all, this certainly isn’t one of the better starting lineups in the Western Conference. The Suns finished 11th in the West with a 36-46 record in 2024-25, and it’s hard to see them doing much better with this core.
The Suns also have Bradley Beal, Royce O’Neale, and Grayson Allen among their ranks, but there’s a good chance that one or two of them would be playing elsewhere next season. This is still a second-round team after trading Durant, and they will make moves to change that.
While the present and the future look bleak for the Suns, that’s not the case for the Rockets. They didn’t have to give up all of their young pieces in this trade, and their starting lineup now looks scary with Durant.
