To Windhorst’s point, Houston finished 52-30 and No. 2 in the Western Conference last season, while Miami went 37-45 in the East. Thus, from a purely short-term basketball perspective, the Rockets would seemingly give Durant a better opportunity to compete at the highest level over whatever remains of his prime NBA years.

Also on Tuesday, the Arizona Republic reported that the Suns have “no leverage” in their trade demands for Durant. Durant reportedly prefers to be traded to the Spurs, Rockets or Heat and has made it clear he doesn’t want to head to Minnesota to play for the Timberwolves.