Rockets Need to Trade for Another Star to Help Kevin Durant

The Houston Rockets looked capable of defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in their first-round series, but with Kevin Durant a spectator for most of the games, that didn’t happen.

Houston had a perfect opportunity to force Game 7 if it could have won another game without KD in the lineup on Friday night. However, LeBron James and the Lakers had other plans, wanting a bit more rest before taking on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Ultimately, the Lakers dominated the Rockets in a 20-point blowout, eliminating Houston from the postseason. That immediately raised the question of whether the losing squad needs to make some offseason changes, and there is speculation that those changes could be significant.

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Based on a recent report from The Athletic’s William Guillory and Sam Amick, there is a big decision for the Rockets this offseason about whether to go after another “star-level talent” for the roster.

Three stars mentioned in the report as potential trade targets are the Los Angeles Clippers’ Paul George, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell, and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Any of those three players could be a significant boost for the Rockets’ chances of contending in a highly competitive Western Conference. In particular, a KD and Greek Freak pairing could be scary, depending on the injury situations of these two former NBA MVPs.

Much like other stars, such as Stephen Curry and LeBron James, Durant is near the tail end of a superstar career in the league. The 37-year-old clearly needs a second star to help out, as this young Rockets roster doesn’t have what it takes otherwise, and especially when KD is on the bench with an injury.

That seemed to be on display in Friday’s 98-78 loss to the Lakers. Houston shot just 35 percent, putting up 80 shots and knocking down only 28 of them. They also connected on their three-pointers at a dismal rate of 18 percent.

The shooting percentages aren’t necessarily easy to improve by adding a superstar, but a superstar can help teammates perform better on the court. Someone like Giannis could draw double teams, opening up easier shots for other players, or he can grab rebounds and make effective passes.

Mitchell and Leonard bring similar skill sets to the young Rockets squad that the Rockets didn’t have on the court last night. They’re both capable of going off on major scoring outbursts and leading a team to a comeback win, something this Houston team was clearly lacking in a must-win playoff game.

Durant brought averages of 26 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game this season, but was on the sidelines for all but one game in this series.

Obviously, making a trade for a player like Giannis, Mitchell, or Leonard would take a lot on the Rockets’ part to pull off, but it makes a lot of sense to get better now with Durant probably not having a ton of seasons left in his NBA career.

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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 8:04 PM.