The Denver Nuggets and the Houston Rockets both saw their seasons end far sooner than they’d have hoped. The Los Angeles Lakers eliminated the Rockets in six games in the first round of the playoffs, while the Minnesota Timberwolves sent the Nuggets packing in six as well.
Both the Lakers and the Timberwolves saw their best player miss time, too, with Luka Doncic out for the entire series and Anthony Edwards missing the last two games. That added to the embarrassment for the Rockets and Nuggets, and some changes might be coming in the offseason.
As for what they could do, Yahoo Sports’ Tom Haberstroh believes they can help each other. Haberstroh put together a mock trade that has the Rockets and Nuggets swapping big names.
Proposed Trade Details
Denver Nuggets Receive: Kevin Durant, 2029 first-round pick (PHX)
Houston Rockets Receive: Jamal Murray
Nuggets Pair Nikola Jokic With An All-Time Great
One of the biggest complaints of the Nuggets in recent years was that Nikola Jokic had never seen a teammate make the All-Star, All-NBA, or All-Defensive team during their time together. That finally changed this season when Jamal Murray was named an All-Star for the first time in his career.
Murray struggled in the postseason, though, and hasn’t been an incredible playoff riser for some time now. With this trade, the Nuggets get Jokic a reliable scoring threat in Kevin Durant. Now, Durant did struggle in his only outing of the postseason against the Lakers (nine turnovers in Game 2), but he won’t have nearly as much defensive pressure on him when he plays alongside the Serb.
Durant is still playing at a high level, in general, as he averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game in 2025-26. The 16-time All-Star was efficient, too, as he shot 52.0% from the field and 41.3% from beyond the arc.
The 6’11” Durant also gives the Nuggets more length and athleticism. He isn’t an elite defender, but he would be an upgrade on Murray on that end of the floor.
The Nuggets get the Phoenix Suns‘ 2029 first-round pick in this deal as well, and that could prove to be quite valuable.
Rockets Get A Better Fit With Their Timeline
Murray isn’t the player Durant is, but he is much younger at 29. The Canadian is a better fit, timeline-wise, with the Rocklets’ young core led by Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson. They’d be extending a potential title window with the move.
Murray is also coming off the best regular season of his career. He averaged 25.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for the Nuggets in 2025-26.
The Rockets would address their ball-handling and creativity issues by getting Murray as well. Fred VanVleet is the only reliable one on the roster at present, and we don’t even know how good he will look when he returns from his torn ACL.
Who Says No?
We spoke a lot about how Durant helps the Nuggets, but they are probably the ones who say no here. There is a huge injury risk involved. While the 37-year-old Durant played 78 regular-season games, he couldn’t stay upright for the playoffs. The older he gets, the greater the risk of injury.
The Nuggets would be shortening their title window greatly with this move. Durant is only going to keep this up for so much longer. If the Nuggets don’t win a title with him next season or the one after, that would be that.
Durant didn’t exactly come across as a great teammate this season either. You’re risking some tension in the locker room by bringing him in. The Nuggets would be better off looking elsewhere.
