Two of the most recognizable names in the league spent the first week of October attached to trade chatter, and neither one is moving this season. That is the sober read on Kevin Durant in Houston and Ja Morant in Portland, and the actual reporting supports it better than the noise does.
What Has Actually Been Reported
On ESPN’s “The Hoops Collective,” Tim MacMahon said Durant was “at the top of the list” of the problems behind Houston’s fourth-quarter and chemistry issues last season. That is a criticism rather than a trade report. Sean Deveney of Heavy went further, writing that Durant has been mentioned as a trade candidate but that interest is dwindling, with rival teams wary of his history in Golden State, Brooklyn, Phoenix and now Houston.
Deveney also reported the practical brake. The Rockets want to see how the roster looks with Fred VanVleet back before deciding anything. That is a front office telling the league it is not taking calls.
On Morant, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report said on his stream that rival executives are watching whether Portland can rehabilitate Morant’s trade value and then move him. Fischer laid out the obstacles. Two years and roughly $87 million remain on the deal, Morant has played 79 games over the last three seasons because of suspensions and injuries, and matching that salary by February is close to impossible.
Separating Reporting From Wishcasting
Everything past those points is speculation, including the popular assumption that Morant will be gone by the deadline. Fischer’s own framing pointed to the summer. Deveney wrote that Morant is unlikely to have eased anyone’s concerns by February and that a trade “would make some sense” next offseason.
The Portland subplot is real enough. Damian Lillard has said he and Morant will start together in the backcourt, and coach Micah Nori pushed back on that publicly. Portland also carries Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe in that same backcourt and has been unwilling to trade its way out of the crowd. Morant has called the move to Portland a necessary fresh start.
Where I Land
Durant stays. He is 38, he is making $43.9 million this season with a $46.1 million player option for 2027-28, and Houston has no reason to sell a high-volume scorer in October on the strength of a podcast critique. A team that just lost by 17 to Dallas in Macao needs more shot-making.
Morant stays too, and the reason is arithmetic rather than loyalty. Portland acquired him from Memphis on June 29 for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray. You do not pay that and then flip the asset five months later at a discount, especially when his reported production from last season, 19.5 points and 8.1 assists on 41.0 percent shooting, hands any buyer an excuse to lowball.
Check back in June. The February deadline will pass with both of them exactly where they are, and the rumors will restart the week the season ends.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.