Too realistic! Durant chose to join the Rockets instead of the Mavericks because Irving was injured

According to NBA insider Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson, if Kyrie Irving had not torn the left ACL last season, Kevin Durant might have been traded to the Dallas Mavericks, not the Houston Rockets.

Robinson: "By communicating with people from all sides of the league, I had a feeling and started reporting around February and March that if Kyrie Irving had not injured his knee, we might be talking about Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving as members of the Dallas Mavericks."

"Kyrie Irving's knee injury is no exaggeration, and it is indeed the fatal reason for Durant's failure to join the Dallas Mavericks."

Durant and Irving were once teammates of the Brooklyn Nets. Durant also played side by side with Klay Thompson with the Golden State Warriors.

The Mavericks won the No. 2 pick in 2025 and selected Duke forward Cooper Flag. Today, Dallas' core lineup includes Flagg, Irving, Thompson and Anthony Davis.

And the Rockets now have Durant, Amen Thompson, Jabary Smith Jr., Alperen Sengon, Dorian Finney-Smith and Fred VanVleet.

According to NBA insiders Kelly Ico and Sam Amik of Sports, Durant is extremely excited about being traded to the Rockets. “According to a source close to Durant, the future Hall of Famer is extremely excited about having the opportunity to join the competitive team of the Houston Rockets, surrounded by a talented coaching staff and a top five defensive roster in the league,” said Durant, who was in New York for an event and interviewed when the news broke, showed a bright smile in front of hundreds of enthusiastic fans.

“Durant has one season left on his current contract, worth $54.7 million. Although he may not sign a contract extension when he qualifies in July, team sources said everyone firmly believe it will be a long-term cooperation. Theoretically, the Rockets' potential looks impressive.

Kevin Durant was on July 7, the first seven-team trade in NBA history was traded from the Suns to the Rockets.

The teams participating in this transaction include the Houston Rockets, the Atlanta Hawks, the Brooklyn Nets, the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Phoenix Suns. The deal involves a total of 6 players, a first-round pick and up to 12 second-round picks.

Among them, the Rockets sent Jaylen Green, Dillon Brooks, Kaman Maruac's signing rights in the 2025 NBA draft, the second round draft pick in 2026, the second round draft pick in 2032, and David Roddy, and exchanged the second round pick in 2031 with the Hawks, and also paid a cash to the Hawks, getting Durant from the Suns and Clint Capela from the Timberwolves.