June 2025 saw one of the craziest deals in the NBA, when the Houston Rockets traded 2 of their key young players to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Kevin Durant and Clint Capela. Durant has been one of the more prolific scorers in the history of the league and can be a lethal option to have on both sides of the court.
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“We liked the growth our team showed last season and believe Kevin’s skill set will integrate seamlessly,” Rockets’ GM Rafael Stone had said once the news was broken earlier this year. Stone also managed to bring the Rockets’ very own Clint Capela home this year, who had played 6 seasons for them after being drafted in 2014.
But while this does make him happy, having traded off talents like Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks does leave a bitter taste in his mouth. By his own admission, while he remains extremely proud of what both the players have achieved, he’s aware that sending them away is just the cost of doing business.
“Drafting Jalen was … that’s nothing. That’s my job,” Stone noted. “Working with him, getting to know him, and just the quality human being that he is. That’s what makes it tough. It’s not the proprietary, ‘I did’. I didn’t do anything of substance,” he added.
“We are all human, and NBA teams live together, right? You see each other way more than you see your family. So when you are with somebody like that for 4 years, and they are a quality human being, who is trying to do the right thing every day, and you can see them growing up to. That’s always really kind of cool,” the Rockets General Manager explained.
Asserting that it’s never easy, Stone said that it is, however, part of the business. “Because he had grown up, I think he was at a point in his career and his life where he was ready for it,” he added.
As far as Green’s parting words are concerned, Stone revealed that they were heartfelt and a little bit of what he had already expected from him. “I know how much his teammates and everybody in our offices meant to him. I know how much the city meant to him,” he said.
Stone noted that everything he said applied to Brooks as well. He saw them excel over the last two seasons as the guys who played the most minutes. It does, however, make him feel better that both these athletes were now in great places, making great livings for themselves and their families.
While the trade might make him sad, he can’t be very upset about it. After all, it’s not every day you land an all-time legendary talent like KD. Integrating a young core of Alperen Sengun, Tari Eason, Amen Thompson, and Reed Sheppard along with the vast knowledge and experience KD brings to the table, can be the missing piece that can propel the Rockets to take on the ever-competitive West.
