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LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers defends Kevin Durant who is the subject of NBA rumors.

In all likelihood, the Houston Rockets will open next season with Kevin Durant still on the roster, in the first year of the two-year, $90 million extension he signed in Houston after he was traded there last summer. It’s possible that it is the last year of that extension, because Durant has a player option for 2027-28 and could hit free agency in two summers. But he will be 39 years old then, and there will be ample questions about what he’d get on the free-agent market at that point.

Durant is slated to make $47 million that year if he opts in. It’s a good bet that he will do so, because it’s getting harder to find teams still seeking him out as a player, despite his obvious ability.

In fact, after Wednesday’s monumental meltdown against the Timberwolves in overtime–the Rockets blew a 13-point lead in the final three minutes–it’s become even more obvious that there is something off with Houston’s chemistry, and that Durant is at the center of it.

NBA Rumors Sparked, Again, by Alleged Kevin Durant Burner Account

Some will point back to the All-Star break, when the Rockets were 33-20, but online speculation developed about Durant and possible derogatory comments he made about teammates using a social media burner account. The Rockets have gone 10-9 since then.

But the reality is, the Rockets began sliding even before that.

Durant, despite averaging 26.0 points on 51.8% shooting, with 41.1% 3-point shooting and 87.8% free-throw shooting, is often saddled with the blame for the Rockets’ troubles. Its not all on him, of course, but his reputation continues to take hits.

In fact, one Eastern Conference executive says, it would be very difficult for Houston to trade Durant in the offseason, if they sought to do so.

“I think you’ve seen it and heard it in all the stops he has made in the last few years,” the exec said. “He is not easy to play with. He does not bring a locker room together. You hear about, there’s a lack of patience with other players. When you’re older and you’re a Hall of Famer, you can try to be a teacher and a mentor, or you can resent everyone who does not do things the way you do. And it seems like (Durant) is in the second category.”

Could Rockets Put Kevin Durant on Trade Market?

The question for the Rockets, then, is what do they do? There has been chatter that they could pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo if he hits the market in the summer, and that will be on the menu of options. But the Rockets do want to protect their young talent.

They will get point guard Fred VanVleet back, and there’s some feeling in Houston that the big problem has been the lack of a real, veteran point guard on the roster.

Would the return of VanVleet–a kinder, gentler veteran than Durant–be enough? Would the Rockets welcome VanVleet back and simultaneously seek to trade away Durant? More important, after a miserable ending with the Warriors was followed by a miserable tenure in Brooklyn and and even more miserable stint with the Suns, is there a team that would still gamble on Durant, despite his production?

“I think you look at the numbers and of course, somebody will want to trade for him if Houston goes that direction,” the exec said. “But if it is my team? Then, no. And I think that’s the situation–would someone trade for Kevin Durant? Yes. Would your team trade for Kevin Durant? No. Tough to make a deal like that.”

NBA Rumors: Pistons Faith, Brad Stevens & Cavaliers

• One of the questions raised in the aftermath of the collapsed lung suffered by Cade Cunningham was whether the Pistons had some remorse over the trade that sent out Jaden Ivey to Chicago at the deadline. The answer has come back as a pretty strong no. That’s because the Pistons have considerable faith in Daniss Jenkins, the 24-year-old second-year player whose two-way contract was converted after the Ivey trade.In his last three games starting in place of Cunningham, Jenkins has averaged 23.7 points and 8.7 assists. Obviously, those numbers are not sustainable, but one assistant coach said, “They have a lot of faith in him, coaches love him. They’ve been talking him up for a while.”
• Celtics basketball president Brad Stevens pulled his name from consideration to take over as coach at North Carolina as soon as the Tar Heels expressed interest. There’s some inkling in Boston that maybe Stevens would return to coaching someday, but not any time soon, and only in the NBA–not in college.
• Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson sent a warning to his team, saying they’re not going to win in the playoffs if they don’t defend. That’s a reflection of some panic in Cleveland, where the hope is that Jarrett Allen will soon return from tendinitis in his knee. The Cavs were the No. 12 defensive team in the NBA when Allen went out 10 games ago, with a 113.1 rating.Since then, they’ve had a rating of 118.9, 22nd in the league. Allen obviously pulls the Cleveland defense together, but Atkinson is still rightly worried  that the rest of his team is not pulling its weight on the defensive end.