Rockets GM: It s not easy for Durant to trade & and it s not celebrated. I m reluctant to leave Jaylen &.

Today Rockets General Manager Stone was a guest on the ESPN podcast program and talked about the team's offseason operation.

Regarding Durant's transaction, Stone revealed: "The process was too long. We had contacted the Suns a year ago and knew the asking price there, but we thought it was not suitable. Later, we discussed it several times before the deal was concluded."

"We did not celebrate the transaction that night. Of course, we were satisfied with getting KD. He is a good person; but on the other hand, I was reluctant to leave Dillon and Green. They are great players. We were the No. 2 seed last season. You should know that everyone is very young and will develop. They also caused a lot of trouble when they played against the Warriors, and Jaylen and Dillon made an indelible contribution." Stone said.

In a multi-party transaction this summer, the Rockets sent Jaylen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th pick in the first round of 2025 and 5 second round picks in exchange for Durant.