According to Charania, Miami refused to include young bench players like Highsmith, small forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., or power forward Nikola Jovic as part of a possible Phoenix return haul for Durant. The Heat also would not include starting center Kel'el Ware, the No. 20 pick in this year's draft, or other significant draft equity.

The Rockets will play 28 games on national television in 2025-26, which is tied for second-most in the NBA and is more than double the amount of national TV games Houston played last season.