It appears that the Russell Westbrook–James Harden experiment in Houston may be short-lived. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Westbrook wants out after just one season with the Rockets.
Rockets’ Russell Westbrook wants out of Houston, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 12, 2020
This is just the latest development for a Rockets organization undergoing significant change. Daryl Morey stepped down as the team’s General Manager shortly after the season concluded. Additionally, Mike D’Antoni has been replaced by Stephen Silas as the teams head coach.
When those moves were made, it became possible that the Rockets would look to move on from Westbrook. They not only lack assets to improve their team, but they also have massive holes. The obvious one is their lack of a big man on the roster. It’s highly unlikely Silas wants to run the extreme version of small ball that Houston deployed last season.
With little draft capital and even less cap space, Westbrook seemed likely to be shopped by the team even before this news. Now that it has been made public he wants out, it’s only a matter of time before he’s moved. Westbrook and Harden were less than ideal playing alongside each other, and the Rockets will look to reshape their roster in hopes of contending with James Harden.
Westbrook’s contract is the main issue in any trade. He’s set to make $41,358,814 next season followed by $44,211,146 the following year. After that, he’ll have an easily accepted Player Option worth $47,063,478 for the 2022-23 NBA season (Numbers via Spotrac).
Westbrook averaged 27.2 points per game last season, with 7 assists and 7.9 rebounds per contest. Impressive numbers, no doubt, but that’s never been the issue with Russ. He shot just 25.8% from deep and was a complete liability due to his 3-point shooting in the playoffs.
As a player that’s best with the ball in his hands, and limited playing off-ball, his suitors will be limited. Even though he won the MVP award just a few years ago (2016-17), he’s a very unique player that must be surrounded by the right players.
An early front runner to acquire the All-Star guard appears to be the New York Knicks. The Knicks lack talent, have financial flexibility, and are desperate to get star power back in the Big Apple.
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