Happy Anniversary? Rockets Still Feel Effects From Russell Westbrook Trade
The current course the Houston Rockets are on has been defined by a singular move that took place three years ago today.
On July 11, 2019, the Rockets acquired Russell Westbrook from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Chris Paul, two pick swaps and two first-round picks.
The trade came just a little over a year after losing Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals with Paul injuring his hamstring in Game 5 and elevating the team to its peak.
Since then, Paul and Westbrook have been on separate trajectories. Westbrook floundered in Houston, leading to regression, and finds himself as one of the most overpaid players in the league. Meanwhile, Paul made his first Finals appearance in 2021 with the Phoenix Suns, leading them to the best record in the league this past season.
For the Rockets, trading for Westbrook was a way to improve the team at the time. Westbrook and James Harden were extremely close, and he was an upgrade over Paul, who struggled in the 2019 playoff run. But in hindsight, the move was the first domino in a long spiral that has found the Rockets in the NBA's basement.
Westbrook requested a trade from the Rockets after one season with the team, and he was dealt to the Washington Wizards for John Wall.
Wall was one of the only players who had a contract that could match Westbrook's, and the Rockets are still responsible for paying most of Wall's contract for this upcoming season, despite buying him out earlier this summer.
After committing to a rebuild, the Rockets paid Wall $44,310,840 to not start for the team last season. Wall didn't want to come off the bench, so he was not around for the season.
The trade ultimately was the beginning of the end for the last Rockets contender, and while the team has picked up the pieces quickly and the outlook is promising ... fans wonder if things would be different in a world where this trade from three years ago never happened.
