While the NBA Finals have dominated most basketball conversations, rumors about a potential Kevin Durant have buzzed in the background. That noise roared to a crescendo on Sunday, with the Phoenix Suns finally landing on a deal to ship the two-time NBA Finals MVP to the Houston Rockets in a blockbuster trade.
It seemed like a matter of when, not if, Durant was going to be traded, with the where being the juiciest part of the rumormongering. After an initial list included nearly half a dozen teams, it turns out the Miami Heat and Houston Rockets were the last two teams standing.
There's a lot to chew on from a basketball perspective, but the initial fallout from massive trades like this are always fun to watch. Unlike the Luka Dončić trade, which happened in the middle of the night, this deal happened in the middle of the day -- with Durant live on stage when it all went down.
Watch the moment Kevin Durant learns he was traded to the Houston Rockets while on stage at Fanatics Fest
As if the deal itself wasn't crazy enough, the way Durant found out about it is even wilder. Most NBA fans learned of the deal when they saw the Shams notification pop up on their phones, and a lot of those folks were in attendance for Durant's panel at Fanatics Fest.
This led to Durant finding out he was being traded to Houston, thanks to fans in the crowd shouting at him about the news. His reaction, in real time, was pretty priceless.
BREAKING: Kevin Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets while he was ON STAGE at Fanatics Fest.
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) June 22, 2025
He had no clue and even asked if it was real.
On his first reaction to being traded: “We’re gonna see man, we’re gonna see.” pic.twitter.com/UKixsyLT6B
What an amazing digital age we live in.
It's hard to imagine this deal came as a real surprise to Durant. There's a very high likelihood that his agent tipped him off that something was going to happen and which teams were involved. That being said, Houston and Miami were the two finalists Phoenix was reportedly working closely with over the last 24-hours to secure a deal, so there's a decent chance Durant didn't know which of the two places he'd end up until the moment fans yelled it at him on stage.
His reaction seems genuine, too, which only adds another crazy layer to an already wild situation.