(The original article was published on June 22, the author is Sam Quinn of CBS Sports, and the content of the article does not represent the translator's opinion)

Durant was traded for Jaylen Green, Dillon Brooks and the No. 10 sign? That's all? What is the only thing the Suns get from the Rockets? We must have missed something, right? They should be able to get some of their future first-round picks back? No? They didn't even pull the third-party team back to the starting center? They didn't even get a photocopier - just like when the Nets traded Korver back then (the Nets traded to the 76ers after picking Korver at the 51st pick that year, paid for the summer league fee with the cash they received and bought a photocopier)? As far as we know, the Rocket didn't even have office equipment installed.

On paper, this is one of the most disappointing trade returns for a star of Durant in recent years. That's right, he is 37 years old and does try to control the situation with an expiring contract. However, as the second-seeded Western Conference this season, the Rockets finally got a player with an average of 26.6 points per game and a shooting percentage of 53%/43%/84% of the three events, but they didn't even pay a top asset.

This deal not only affects the teams involved, but actually shakes the entire league. Let's sort out the chain reaction of this big deal and see who is the winner and who is the loser.

Winner: Houston Rockets

There were good reasons to oppose the Rockets to make any star trade this offseason. They have just started the window for the championship and have not even figured out the potential of their current lineup. Is it really worth reorganizing the team in such a hasty way? It turns out that they don't need to worry at all. The Rockets sent out all redundant assets: Amen Thompson has squeezed out Jaylen Green's position as a high-potential sports guard in the future; Dillon Brooks' top defense is just icing on the cake for the Rockets' defense system that is already the top five in the league; No. 10 picks? Shepard, who chose the Tanhua lottery last year, had no time to get the playing time, and the No. 10 pick was on the trading list; the Rockets, the real key future draft pick, did not move.

Of course, the assets that the Rockets abandoned are still valuable, but are insignificant for the reconstruction plan. If this price can be exchanged for Durant, this transaction will never be profitable. The adaptability is obvious: this season, the Rockets ranked first in the rebounding league, fifth in defense, and seventh in fast break score, but the three-point shooting percentage was 21st, and the half-time offense scored 22nd in each leg. When the game was trapped in positional warfare, the team's scoring drought was fatal.

Now the Rockets just need to hand over the ball to Durant for a single. Although it is one year older than the Suns, the Rockets' lineup configuration is more in line with Durant. The Suns lack athletic ability and cannot break through, and the Rockets have no problem at all. Durant switched from a team with low-end Durant skills to a team with only Durant skills, and the latter almost paid no substantial price.

The Rockets got the MVP version of Durant? no. Now he no longer hits the basket frequently, his foul rate has dropped, and the comprehensive data has begun to decline. But the Rockets are not paying for the peak Durant. They are still top-notch hard-solving capabilities, and additional contributions are all bonuses. The Rockets are undoubtedly the biggest winner when they reach a deal at this price.

Loser: The only seemingly abundant position in the Phoenix Suns is the shooting guard, with Booker and Bills paying a total of $107 million next season. Ironically, the main chip that the Suns exchanged for Durant was Jaylen Green, who had an annual salary of 33 million. Jaylen Green can at least inject athleticism into this old team, but his talent has never been fulfilled as the Rockets' expectation of the second-tier draft pick. This season, Jaylen Green's 19.1% of his shots came from near the basket (a career low), and ranked 90th in the penalty area (lagging behind Kelden Johnson and other players), and he has never exceeded 4 assists in his career. The idea of ​​"changing to play point guard" is pure speculation. Jaylen Green is more like Zhang scratch-off: his talent is still there, but he is incompatible with the Sun system.

Let's look at what the Suns missed: Although they got the No. 10 pick this year, none of the six future first-round picks they gave since 2013 have been recovered, which means they still cannot play badly in recent years; they are likely to not win, and the center position has been a fatal shortcoming throughout the season but has not been strengthened in the transaction; they even did not save money (although they can avoid the second rich line with an unsecured contract, the actual salary expenditure of the No. 10 pick has increased).

In order to get Durant, the Suns paid four unprotected first-round swap rights, and Mikal Bridges, who was later used by the Nets to exchange for five first-round and one first-round swap rights, and Cameron Johnson, who was worth at least one first-round. Conservatively estimated the value of ten first-round picks, and in the end it only earns one playoff series victory, and now the return is only 20% follow-up deal. For the Sun, which has suffered heavy losses in recent years, this is undoubtedly a disaster.

Winner: Eastern Conference

For the Eastern Conference, this offseason was originally extremely difficult. The Magic introduced Bain to significantly strengthen it, and the Bucks have no intention of sending Antetokounmpo away at present. Although the overall strength of the West is still superior, the law of "superstar Journey to the West" formed by the past few trading cycles has been broken for the first time this summer.

Fortunately, the teams competing for the Eastern Conference championship do not have to face Durant. Despite rumors spread by the Heat, Raptors and other teams, the super giant eventually stayed in the West as a Rockets player. This will make the already tragic West even more dire, but this is the law of survival in the West.

Loser: The Timberwolves and Heat

Spurs are harmless to miss Durant. They have a long reconstruction cycle with Wenban Yama and a large number of draft picks. They should have retained assets for younger stars. The real injury is the teams that can't wait.

After the Timberwolves were swept by the Thunder in the West Final, due to their lack of their own draft assets, they can only hope that teams like the Suns can use their immediate combat power to exchange for stars, but at present, such trading objects in the market no longer exist.. This means that the Timberwolves will most likely retain their original team. If they want to avoid the second rich line, they will face the choice of three free agents, Randall, Naz Reed and Alexander Walker. Even though he entered the Western Conference Finals for two consecutive years, the Timberwolves could not withstand the decline in strength. After all, he would fall to eighth place in the West only if he lost two games this season. Although the Heat's financial situation is optimistic than the Timberwolves, the team's strength gap is even greater. The Heat, which has only won 37 wins this season, cannot afford decent young assets except Krell Weal, who is regarded as a non-sale product, and also owes the Hornets a first-round pick (Rozier trade). The Heat's only hope is to grab Durant at a discounted price, and this opportunity has been intercepted by the Rockets. Now both the Timberwolves and the Heat seem to be in a deadlock, and it is difficult to find any opportunities for strengthening at the same level in the market.

Losers: Jabbarri Smith Jr. and Tari Ethan

If there are losers within the Rockets, they should be these two forward players. The Rockets' salary scale suddenly became crowded: Durant is eligible to sign a two-year, $120 million early contract renewal, Shen Jing's non-maximum salary but expensive contract renewal will take effect this summer, and Van Vreet's team option is likely to be rejected to re-sign a longer-term low-priced contract (in order to avoid taxes or avoid the rich line), and the forward position is particularly tight.

This poses a double blow to Jabarri Smith, who is in the contract year and is eligible for renewal: the Rockets are likely to be able to keep one of them. This season Ethan is more powerful in combat, while Jabbarry Smith, a young man who is a Tanhua show, has greater potential. Although they will receive a trading offer for the two, the Rockets will remain silent for the time being. Both of them can help the team compete for the championship, but they will also enter the most turbulent season of their careers. If it is included in the Durant transaction, it may be easier to obtain an ideal contract.

Winners: Grizzlies, Nets, Wizards and Jazz As mentioned earlier, the Suns' first round picks have long changed hands in the next few years. Ideally, when trading stars, you should try to redeem some of the first round picks to retain the bad play option, but the Suns failed to do it. Due to the complex terms involving multiple first-round swap rights, the following teams are most likely to actually hold the Suns first-round pick in the next six years:

2026: Memphis Grizzlies

2027: Houston Rockets

2028: Brooklyn Nets

2029: Houston Rockets

2030: Washington Wizards

2031: Utah Jazz

Rockets are already winners, and they win more clearly after taking these draft picks into consideration. The Suns were in a mess, and the 36-win team with an explosive salary was in the West, but they only exchanged the best player in the team for a qualified wing, a scorer with overlapping functions and a lottery final draft pick. In the short term, the Suns are at most a mediocre team at the playoff level; in the long term, what if Booker realizes the incompetence of the team's management and switches to a team with more achievements? The Suns, who lose control of the first round pick, will lose their rebuilding chips, and as Durant joins the Rockets, his motivation to return the Suns' first round pick in a potential Booker deal is also significantly reduced.

The team will soon receive the Suns' high-couple lottery, and there may even be more than one team. At present, these draft picks may be the most valuable future draft assets in the league except for the Bucks' first-round picks.

Loser: The San Antonio Spurs were not a loser because they missed Durant, their prospects remain bright. They can trade almost any player on the market as long as they want and seem to be more inclined to chase young stars who match the timeline of Vampan Yama.

The problem is: In the future, the Spurs will compete with the Rockets to trade assets. Part of the reason why the Spurs had retained high-quality assets was to reserve ammunition depots for future bidding for superstars like Antetokounmpo. Although they still have the capital to participate in the bidding...the Rockets are now holding a lot of money.

This is where the Spurs' real loss lies. While retaining all core assets, the Rockets' short-term competitiveness has jumped significantly. Their attractiveness to the stars has not weakened their actual trading capabilities. This pair of Texas arch-rivals will be in a competitive state for a long time, and in the common journey to win the championship, the Rockets have already seized a huge opportunity.

Winner: Teams with tradeable centers

As mentioned earlier, the Suns' center position is still a huge loophole. Of course they can choose a center with the No. 10 pick, but this year's best inside player Malu Archie is likely to be selected before that. What's more, the Suns have been very interested in drafts in recent years. The boss Matt Ishbiya only cares about winning the game now, and rookies need time to grow.

This means that any team with a trading center has a chance to leverage the No. 10 draw in theory. The Jazz (Kesler), Nets (Clarkston), Mavericks (Garford) and other teams should now discuss urgently how to exchange a lottery that does not meet the Suns' goal of fighting power.

Loser: Los Angeles Lakers

The above-mentioned teams with centers may have been negotiating with the Lakers over the past few weeks. Lakers general manager Pelinka's desire for center is well known. Before the trade deadline, he threw chips for Mark Williams (later failed due to physical examination problems). The Lakers' previous negotiation advantage is that there are not many teams in the league that need non-space centers, and most teams either have configurations or just want to buy Taobao at a low price. In other words, this was originally a buyer's market.

But as the Sun joined the battle, the situation changed suddenly. The Lakers not only have to directly compete with the Suns for big resources, but the Suns have also become a bargaining chip for sellers to raise prices: "Want our center? The Suns just quoted X, and you will get Y." The draft is so close that this variable makes it harder for the Lakers to strengthen the inside.

Original text: Sam Quinn

Compiled by: Li Taibai