Why the Nuggets do this: Kevin Durant is still a star, still one of the best scorers in the league and still one of the most reliable playoff players. He's capable of playing defense at a high level especially when he's tasked with less load on offense. He's the ultimate plug and play player so fit shouldn't be a worry. This trade also allows them to get off Christian Braun's huge contract, since his contributions to their team aren't at all worth the money he'll be paid over the next 5 years.

Why the Rockets do this: The Rockets with their current roster, chemistry issues aside, are never going to be as good as the Thunder or Spurs, and probably won't be as good as other west teams like the Nuggets, Lakers and TWolves, as well as whatever other teams make big swings in the offseason. KD is only going to get older and is wasted on a team that has no shot at contention, not to mention the fact that he seemingly hates playing there and probably isn't well liked by anyone in the team or fanbase. This trade allows them to give up on contending, focus on their current young guys development and gives them another young guy with some decent upside in CB, plus they could probably flip Cam Johnson onto a contender for a decent return. They get future pick swaps from the Nuggets which could end up being very valuable depending on how that team ages.