Kevin Durant to Rockets — Blockbuster NBA Shakeup

Merlin sees a summer of seismic moves: Kevin Durant landed in Houston, Orlando pulled off a blockbuster for Desmond Bane, and dozens of signings and extensions reshuffled rosters from coast to coast. Big-picture shifts — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s supermax, Devin Booker and Chet Holmgren’s huge extensions, plus veteran buys like Deandre Ayton to the Lakers — mean title windows moved and depth charts look very different. Merlin notes front offices are dancing around the CBA, trading future picks for immediate firepower and locking young stars to max deals. Chemistry and cap flexibility will decide who prospers; as LeBron’s camp put it, he “knows the Lakers are building for the future ... but he values a realistic chance of winning it all.”