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The Phoenix Suns have traded the superstar forward to the Houston Rockets.

Durant is “looking forward” to joining the Rockets, and talked about Suns fans, too, in an interview with Kay Adams at a Fanatics event in New York.

Durant has one year left on his four-year, $194-million contract. ESPN first reported the trade news. This is Durant’s fifth NBA team in a career that began as the second overall pick in the 2007 draft out of Texas.

In return, the Suns acquired guard Jalen Green, forward Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and five second-round picks.

The trade can be formalized July 6, when a transaction moratorium ends.

This was Brian Gregory’s first trade since replacing James Jones as Suns general manager last month. Jones shifted to senior adviser.

Green and Brooks were key contributors this season for the Rockets, who finished second overall in the Western Conference at 52-30. The Golden State Warriors eliminated Houston in the first round, though, in seven games, sparking the debate that the Rockets needed a closer.

They now have one in Durant, a 15-time All-Star and one of the best to ever play the game, with the ability to hit clutch shots.

At the Fanatics event, Durant said he “most definitely” had a hand in choosing his destination.

“They asked me where I wanted to go — some of my destinations — I gave it to them, and here we are,” he said.

Adams asked Durant to address “heartbroken Suns fans” in the wake of the trade.

“I just felt like they (the Suns) wanted me to go ... they got what they wanted; I got what I wanted,” he said. “So we can move on, and good luck to them going forward. Always remember my time there, but we’re on to something else.”

The San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat and Rockets were Durant’s preferred trade destinations as ESPN reported all three would be willing to sign him to a two-year extension for $120-plus million.

Durant worked with Rockets coach Ime Udoka when he played for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2020-21 season. Udoka was an assistant. Durant and Udoka also worked together with USA Basketball.

Durant is also close friends with Rockets assistant Royal Ivey. They both played at Texas and were teammates at Oklahoma City.

The Suns acquired Durant before the 2023 trade deadline in a monstrous move that made them instant championship contenders, but they never even reached the Western Conference finals with the two-time NBA Finals MVP.

Phoenix entertained offers for Durant before the 2025 trade deadline in February, but he shut them down.

After the deadline, Durant said it’s just business and that “anyone can be up for auction.”

This was months after Suns team owner Mat Ishbia and then general manager Jones said before the 2024-25 season that the team loved Durant.

The Suns have now parted ways with the two-time finals MVP and future first-ballot Hall of Famer less than three calendar years removed from acquiring him from Brooklyn in a blockbuster deal.

Phoenix sent the Suns Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and four first-round picks to the Nets for Durant and T.J. Warren, who had previously played for the Suns.

This was Ishbia’s initial splash as the new team owner that immediately put the Suns on a championship-or-bust quest.

Durant averaged 26.8 points in 145 games, made second team All-NBA in his first full season with the franchise in 2023-24, but the Suns fell short of those title aspirations.

Phoenix didn’t even make the playoffs this past season as Durant missed the last seven games with an ankle injury. The last image of Durant in a Phoenix uniform was him being helped off the court at PHX Arena to the locker room after suffering the injury in the second half.

Durant played for three coaches in three seasons in Phoenix — Monty Williams, Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer. The Suns reached the playoffs in those two first two seasons, but they lost to the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the second round of the 2023 playoffs and were swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round after the 2023-24 season.

Durant averaged 28.4 points in 15 playoff games, but Phoenix went 6-9 in those games.

The Suns fired Budenholzer after winning just 36 games and failing to even make the play-in tournament this past season. This was the start to the “changes” Ishbia promised days after the firing.

They elevated Gregory from vice president of player programming to general manager and shifted Jones to senior adviser. The Suns then hired former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott to replace Budenholzer, but trading Durant is by far the biggest change to date.

With Bradley Beal having a no-trade clause that makes him difficult to move, and Devin Booker being the franchise player, Durant was, in essence, the odd man out, despite being the team’s best player.

Phoenix’s initial pairing of Durant and Booker gave them a dynamic scoring duo. They averaged a combined 62.7 points in the 2023 playoffs.

The Suns chose not to run it back with Williams as the head coach after the 2022-23 season, firing him and replacing him with Vogel. They then acquired Beal in a deal that sent Chris Paul to the Washington Wizards. Paul later joined the Golden State Warriors.

The trade created the Big 3 of Booker, Durant and Beal, raising the championship stakes even higher along with a player payroll that exceeded the league’s second tax apron.

They later dealt Deandre Ayton in a three-team deal with Damian Lillard going to Milwaukee and 7-footer Jusuf Nurkic joining the Suns.

Phoenix went 45-33 in 78 games with Booker, Durant and Beal sharing the court. Beal has dealt with multiple injuries throughout his two seasons with the Suns, and the trio never truly found a consistent rhythm and chemistry.

Here’s a breakdown of Green and Brooks and what they would bring to the Suns.

Jalen Green

Age: 23

Dimensions: 6-4, 186 pounds

Seasons: 4 (second overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft out of G League Ignite)

2024-25 stats (82 games, 82 starts): 21.0 points per game, 42.3% FG, 35.4% 3PT, 81.3% FT, 4.6 rebounds per game, 3.4 assists per game, 2.5 turnovers per game, 0.9 steals per game and 0.3 blocks per game

Contract: Three years, $105.3 million (beginning in 2025-26). Player option third year. Unrestricted free agent after third year.

What Green brings to Phoenix: Explosive athlete who can put up numbers, but he’ll follow that with down scoring efforts. Case in point: Green had a five-game stretch in March where he averaged 27.2 points. He followed that with a six-point effort in a win over Miami.

Green then averaged 29 points in his next four games, only to close the month with a nine-point effort in a March 31 road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the playoffs, Green scored 38 points in Game 2 of the first round against the Golden State Warriors. The next five games of the series, Green scored a total of 48 points as Houston was eliminated.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka called upon Green to impact the game beyond just scoring and sat him in the playoffs. His shot selection can always improve, and he could use some strength and muscle, but Green has played all 82 games in each of his last two seasons.

Overall, Green is a talented player with upside, who, paired with Booker, gives the Suns a dynamic scoring backcourt.

Dillon Brooks

Age: 29

Dimensions: 6-6, 225 pounds

Seasons: 7 (45th overall pick in 2017 NBA Draft out of Oregon)

Contract: Four years, $86 million. Unrestricted free agent in 2027-28.

2024-25 stats (75 games, 39 starts): 14 points per game, 42.9% FG, 39.7% 3PT, 81.8% FT, 3.7 rebounds per game, 1.7 assists per game, 1.0 turnovers per game, 0.2 blocks per game, 0.8 steals per game

‘M�������dz����ܲԾ������پ��Dz�’: What’s crazy about this trade is the Suns tried to get Brooks from Memphis during the 2018-19 season.

However, the Grizzlies looked to send MarShon Brooks instead of Dillon Brooks to Phoenix in a three-team team with Washington. Memphis backed out of the deal.

Then-interim general manager James Jones chalked it up as “miscommunication.”

Austin Rivers, Wayne Selden and Dillon Brooks would’ve gone to Phoenix. The Suns wound up trading Trevor Ariza, who wanted out, to the Wizards for Kelly Oubre Jr. and Rivers.

Rivers let Phoenix know he wasn’t coming. The Suns bought him out and Rivers later joined the Rockets.

What Brooks brings to the Suns: Passionate player who competes hard, but is known for pushing the limits and has had moments of going over the edge. Brooks and Booker have had their share of back-and-forth battles, with Brooks looking to irritate Booker.

He’s a very streaky shooter and can catch fire quickly only to turn cold just as fast. He’s a good defender who takes on the challenge of guarding the opposing team’s best offensive player. He’s received his share of criticism over the years, but Brooks has been part of winning teams for most of his career.

He played a huge role in the Rockets finishing with the second-best record in the Western Conference.