As the Houston Rockets pursue a difference-making scorer to elevate them in the Western Conference hierarchy next season, they appear to be willing to engage the Phoenix Suns in a staring contest about the asking price for Kevin Durant.

To Windhorst’s point, the Rockets finished 52-30 and No. 2 in the West last season, and that was with an elite defense and a mediocre offense. By adding Durant, who remains an All-Star forward with elite scoring, it would significantly improve Houston’s biggest weakness.

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.