Years from now, Koby Brea can say that he helped Kevin Durant find his way to the Houston Rockets — well, sort of.
ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported Durant’s trade from the Phoenix Suns to the Rockets all the way back on June 22. But because of how the league calendar is set up, the transaction couldn’t be made official until Sunday. And when all was said and done, the dealing of Durant to Houston included a record-setting seven teams. Brea, who was taken 41st overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, ended up being a part of it, with the Golden State Warriors trading his draft rights to Phoenix.
This massive, seven-team deal was made up of a series of smaller transactions that leaked out since the Durant deal was made public in June. All seven franchises somehow managed to get on the same page and make it work. Also included in the trade was former Kentucky guard Adou Thiero, who had his draft rights traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Los Angeles Lakers. Thiero was the 36th overall pick in the draft.
Would it have been nice for Brea to begin his professional career with the Warriors, learning under the greatest shooter of all time in Steph Curry? Of course. But here at Kentucky Sports Radio, we think learning under Devin Booker in Phoenix is a pretty solid consolation prize. There should be a pretty clear pathway to a rotation spot for Brea, too — especially if the Suns’ front office can figure out a way to offload Bradley Beal and his expensive, no-trade clause contract.
Brea will make his NBA debut later this week (Friday, July 11) in Las Vegas at the NBA 2K26 Summer League. He’ll be one of a dozen former Wildcats set to suit up and make some noise.
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