Russell Westbrook wants out of the Houston Rockets after only one season with the team. It was expected that the Rockets would move Russ in the offseason, but the All-Star point guard didn’t waste any time and requested a trade from the Texans, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Westbrook landed in Houston in the blockbuster trade that sent Chris Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder last season.
One year later we find that both Westbrook and Paul are once again on the move. When everything pointed out that Westbrook was going to be a bad fit with James Harden, they had a couple of good games. However, once they arrived in the Orlando bubble, things fell apart for them. They couldn’t get things done, the Rockets made some changes within the organization but that doesn’t seem to be the end of it.
Via The Athletic:
Westbrook has informed team officials that he has been uneasy about the team’s accountability and culture, and wants to join a team where he can have a role similar to his prior, floor-general role in Oklahoma City.
Why does Westbrook want out?
Kelly Iko, Rockets beat writer: Does the NBA ever sleep? Westbrook has made it clear that he wants out of Houston, but why? It could be a number of things: Westbrook not trusting Houston’s commitment to winning with the departures of Mike D’Antoni and Daryl Morey, the culture he was added to, or perhaps just not being able to establish a long-term on-court fit with his good friend, Harden. Whatever the reason is, Westbrook has clearly stepped out onto the ledge and the clock is ticking on both his next destination and the Rockets’ upcoming season.
Russ never felt comfortable in Houston, no matter how hard he tried. He knew that was Harden’s team and even though they tried to work things out for the team’s sake, it never worked. The small-ball lineup didn’t work for them, either, so this was something expected for the Rockets. Now new head coach Stephen Silas will have more things to do with Russ’ departure.
The Rockets gave up a lot to land Westbrook so it’ll be interesting to see what they can get in return from the star point guard. We listed three opportunities for teams to create a Big 3 with Westbrook, but it remains to be seen if they’ll pull the trigger on that move.
