拉尔夫·桑普森盛赞杜兰特，火箭迎来利好信号

At 38 years old, Kevin Durant is still widely considered to be an elite player in the NBA. Last season, Durant averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists over 78 games.

Despite performing at an All-NBA level, there is a perception within some NBA front offices that Durant is no longer a high-commodity player on the trade market. He continues to break age-related records, but he is still at the later stages of his career.

Showing a similar level of longevity to LeBron James, retirement does not seem to be on the horizon for Durant. In an interview with Action Network’s Kyle Odegard, former Rockets star Ralph Sampson expressed that Durant has the skills to continue playing in the league for years to come.

“Kevin Durant, I love him to death. He can play in today's game for a whole lot more years as long as he stays healthy. He's a Hall of Fame player. I love the way he plays, and I love to go see him play. He can play for as long as he wants."

The Good News

The Rockets are coming off a 52-30 record in the Western Conference. With Fred VanVleet returning to the starting lineup, as well as Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun raising their respective ceilings, there are high expectations for Houston to make a breakthrough soon.

Meanwhile, Durant has served as Houston’s primary offensive weapon. He finished with the fourth-most total points scored in the league last season, behind only Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jaylen Brown.

If Sampson’s comments on Durant’s longevity come true, there are the workings for a long-term stint in Houston to be successful. The Rockets have one of the top young cores in the NBA, likely to remain playoff hopefuls, and Durant has yet to show a clear regression in his career trajectory.

Although Durant dealt with injury concerns when playing with the Brooklyn Nets at the early part of the decade, his availability has been exceptional for a high-use player. Over the past three seasons, he appeared in 215 games.

After facing a first-round exit in the playoffs, this upcoming season could ultimately determine whether the Durant experiment will be a success for the Rockets. He has a player option for the 2027-2028 season, meaning that he can choose to enter next summer as an unrestricted free agent.

Overall, Durant’s current skillset is comparable to that of a franchise star in his prime. Retirement wouldn’t be an outlandish decision at his age, but the two-time NBA champion has shown no signs of decline.

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