The number is confirmed, Durant will wear the No. 7 jersey to compete in the Rockets, Whitmore s trade has nothing to do with this

Not long ago, the Rockets officially released the news, thanking Dillon and Jaylen Green for their contributions to Houston in recent years, and also welcomed several new teammates such as Durant, Finney Smith, Capela, etc. Among them, the suspense of Durant wearing the number jersey of the most concerned topic has been revealed.

According to the official Rockets report, Durant will wear the No. 7 jersey he wore at the Nets next season. This report also made many people speculate that the previous deal of the team sending Whitmore away may be related to this matter, because since joining the Rockets in 2023, Whitmore has been wearing the team's No. 7 jersey.

However, according to Rockets reporter Iko, Whitmore was traded completely out of voluntary terms by the Rockets, and he had expressed his frustration about playing time to the management last season. At the same time, on the defensive end, offensive and rational, we failed to reach an agreement with the requirements of coach Uduka. So next season, Whitmore wants to go to a team with more opportunities. For a week before the transaction, Whitmore's agent team and the Rockets were looking for a next home for it, and finally decided to reach a deal with the Wizards.

In fact, even if the Rockets failed to send Whitmore away, it is not the first time that the superstars have been occupied in the new team number. Generally speaking, there are two situations below. Negotiate with the player wearing the number and give some benefits to buy the number. If the player is different, you can only change the jersey number.

However, as a superstar, the team generally meets the needs of players. For example, Whitmore did not leave, and Durant wants to wear the No. 7 jersey, it is likely that the owner of the No. 7 jersey will be him next season. Generally, players who have just entered the league, even if they are rookies with high picks, will respect the first and then come. For example, when the Rockets second-tier Jaylen Green first entered the league, he wanted to wear the No. 4 jersey that he had been wearing since childhood. But at that time, this number was occupied by House.

Jaylen Green had discussed with House because of this matter, and House did not choose to change the number. He said that this number is equally important to him. So after Jaylen Green came to the Rockets, he wore No. 0 for one season. It was not until House left the team in the second season that he wore No. 4 jersey.

So this time Durant chose the No. 7 jersey, and Whitmore was traded, it is probably a coincidence. Looking back at Durant has only worn two numbers, No. 35 and No. 7 jerseys since he entered the league. Durant always wore the No. 35 jersey when he was with the Thunder (including the early Supersonics) and the Warriors, in memory of his childhood coach. Durant was discovered by his enlightenment coach Charles Craig when he was 8 years old. However, the coach unfortunately died at the age of 35 due to an accident. From that time on, Durant chose to wear the No. 35 jersey in order to remember the coach's kindness.

After he went to the Brooklyn Nets, he chose the No. 7 jersey more to want a "new start". Before coming to the Nets, Durant had just fallen on the road to the third championship. He took advantage of his health and failed to win the championship again as he wished. The Nets were another starting point in his basketball career.

After joining the Suns, Durant himself wanted to continue wearing the No. 7 jersey, but the Suns' No. 7 jersey had previously retired. Durant chose to respect his senior Kevin Johnson and finally wore the No. 35 jersey.

And before joining the Rockets this time, many media said that Durant would choose the No. 7 jersey. Judging from Durant's previous behavior, it is highly likely that he would not force the team to trade Whitmore. More likely, the White Demons wanted to leave, Durant just wanted to wear the No. 7 jersey, but the Rockets just did something that suited the flow. Does anyone think that Whitmore's trade has something to do with Durant wearing a No. 7 jersey? Welcome to like, follow, and leave a message to discuss!