Stagnant playoff results and sideline tension have fueled rumors of a quick exit for the veteran superstar, leaving Houston to weigh blockbuster trades against a roster rebuild.
Kevin Durant is both a legendarily brilliant talent and a transient, mercenary star destined to never be associated with one team.
To some degree, critics might say that includes his affiliation with the University of Texas, for one season, way back when.
And to some degree, that includes his present employer, located just down the road from Austin, the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets' debut season with "KD'' cannot be deemed a success, at least not based on expectations.
Oh, they made the playoffs. That's good.
And so is the fact that the Rockets went 52-30 and finished as the fifth seed in the Western Conference.
But that's the same record as Houston posted before Durant got here. ... so in that sense, he didn't make them better.
And that is a stat fact that is unbending even in the face of his individual numbers, which were - as always - impressive.
Durant, 37, made the All-Star team again this season, with big-time averages of 26 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists. He shot 52 percent from the field, with 58.8 percent effective shooting and 64.1 percent true shooting.
He was unstoppable in so many ways.
But the marriage seems a bit shaky, which is leading to speculation that the University of Texas product might be on the move again.
He can be temperamental. (Sitting off to the side during Game 3 of Houston’s opening-round postseason series against the Los Angeles Lakers while missing the game due to injury was a bad look). The Durant burner account situation is weird. And again ... the idea was that he might put Houston over the top.
So naturally ... here come the trade rumors.
Sam Amick of The Athletic is suggesting that the rumors are invalid, saying on a podcast, "I have not gotten any indication that that's in the cards.''
But he added that the Rockets are at "a tricky fork in the road ... Do you double down and go chase another star? They have the assets where they can put a good package together for a Giannis or a Kawhi Leonard. ...
"I don't see Kevin moving but we'll see where that goes.''
That makes for a pile of "if's.''
In the end, the idea is to accumulate talent, not to give it away. So putting aside the "Giannis or Kawhi'' talk - that seems pipe-dreamy - it seems the best bet is that Houston will try to add talent around help Durant ... while putting up with all of the things that have over the years led to him being a transient, mercenary superstar.