Kevin Durant is moving closer to renewed regret over his decision to reject a trade back to the Golden State Warriors last February, with the Houston Rockets now down 2-0 in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers despite the absence of the injured Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Durant returned from his own absence in a Game 1 loss to drop a team-high 23 points in 41 minutes, but it wasn't enough as the injury-hit Lakers secured a second-straight surprise win on their home floor.
Kevin Durant moving closer to renewed Warriors regret
After imploring the Warriors not to trade for him before last year's mid-season deadline, Durant headed to the Rockets during the offseason in the hope he could be the veteran piece capable of taking a young team over the top.
The offensive reliance was evident on Tuesday as the Lakers threw bodies at the 37-year-old, daring his Rockets teammates to beat them as Durant finished with just 12 field-goal attempts while committing a stunning nine turnovers.
The 2x Finals MVP now faces the distinct possibility of a first-round series loss the Rockets were expected to win given the injuries to Doncic and Reaves. While there's the phrase that a "series doesn't start until the road team wins a game," the reality is that a team that goes up 2-0 wins the series nearly 93% of the time in NBA history.
Golden State are watching on after being eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in the Play-In last Friday, but a team led by Stephen Curry and Durant (instead of the now injured Jimmy Butler) would surely be more of a threat than this Rockets team appears to be.
No idea why Kevin dint wanna come back. Warriors would be in the WCF
— 🫵👍 (@AndyKHLiu) April 22, 2026
Playoff success continues to allude Kevin Durant after Warriors departure
Even if you refute the idea that Durant regrets not reuniting with the Warriors last year, surely there must be some lamenting over his initial departure from the franchise during the 2019 offseason when he teamed up with Kyrie Irving at the Brooklyn Nets.
Durant has since spent time with the Phoenix Suns and now the Rockets, but remains with just two playoff series victories in the past seven years, having left a Golden State team that went to the Finals in each of his three seasons with the franchise.
There's still time for he and the Rockets to turn things around as the series heads back to Houston, but there's a growing likelihood that last offseason's blockbuster trade doesn't have the desired effect Durant or the franchise were craving.
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