Dave Litman
They were teammates for three and a half years. Heck, they even went to the NBA Finals together. But we can assume at this point that Kevin Durant and Kendrick Perkins aren’t on the best of terms. Certainly not after the latest salvos that Perk landed.
With Durant being rumored to want to move on from Houston after the season, the question of what teams would be clamoring to trade for him is being debated. As for Perkins, the former Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics big man (now an ESPN mouthpiece) was asked today if KD is still a desirable asset for NBA teams. He answered firmly in the negative.
“Hell, no!,” Perkins began. “I believe that Kevin Durant is the greatest scorer to ever touch the damn basketball… But let’s go facts over feelings right now: The Brooklyn Nets? Disaster. The Phoenix Suns? He ran through two or three coaches, two of them were championship caliber coaches. A disaster…
“Let’s look at the Houston Rockets… What has been the biggest knock on the Rockets this year? The chemistry. It’s so bad to the point where people are questioning, ‘Is Ime Udoka still a good coach?”
Durant ‘hasn’t bonded with anyone’ on the Rockets
There were definitely rumblings late this season that other Houston players were lamenting the fact that they traded Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks for Durant. “Kevin hasn’t bonded with anyone here yet,” was the quote according to a report. And this was in late March.
Yes, Durant put up his usual superstar numbers this season on the court. But off the court? It sounds like he didn’t quite mesh with the team.
The Rockets finished with the same 52 wins they had last season, but in 2024-25 that was good for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. This year? A 5th-place finish, and no home court for this first round series with the Lakers.
After going down 0-3, the Rockets staved off elimination Sunday by winning Game 4—without Durant. He’s missed the last two games and is still listed as “day to day” for Game 5 on Wednesday night.
