Photo From Clutch Points
The Houston Rockets and the Washington Wizards have finalized a trade that swaps two star point guards in a blockbuster deal. This trade includes Russell Westbrook going to the Washington Wizards and John Wall along with a first-round 2023 draft pick to the Houston Rockets. Wall for Westbrook talk has been stalled since the middle of November, according to the general managers from both sides the trade only took a couple of hours Tuesday afternoon to get worked out. Both franchises are hoping they can keep their organization shooting guards to stay long-term, Bradley Beal with the Wizards and James Harden with the Rockets. Harden has asked to get out of the Rockets, specifically the Brooklyn Nets, and it is possible that Beal could become a free agent in 2021.The reuniting of two MVP’s Westbrook and Harden in Houston only lasted for a single season until both players requested a trade out of Houston. Apparently, the Rockets hold the same stance on Harden, planning on keeping him and having another season of high-level basketball with Harden on their roster. The only way they would consider trading the super-star is for something big in return. I do believe that the Rocket's culture was very different from what Westbrook was used to, he finished averaging 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7 assists per game. He did have a tough start to the season as he tried to adjust to a new team after being with the Oklahoma City Thunder for 11 years, as well as having recent knee surgery. He also finished this season with a couple of struggles, contracting COVID-19 and straining his right quadricep making him miss the start of the playoffs. Most seem to overlook what he has done for the Rockets and how effective this team could’ve been, but I'll bring that back up later in the article. Westbrook has three more seasons left in his contract, which is $133 million left to acquire, with a player option for his final year. In the past 10 seasons, Westbrook has been an all-star for nine of them and is the only player other than Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double for a season, which he completed three times. On the other hand, John Wall hasn't played since late 2018 which means he has missed the two most recent seasons but is showing he is back and just as explosive during this offseason. As for my views on this past Houston Rockets season with Russell Westbrook, here they are. If you personally know me, you know I can talk about this topic day and night. For those of you who don't know, Russell Westbrook has been my favorite NBA player for years now, his passion, dominance, determination, athleticism is so captivating, so inspiring. As covered before, the last offseason the Houston Rockets got Westbrook after his loyal 11 years with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Former teammates James Harden and Westbrook were planned to reunite in Houston and the whole NBA world was ecstatic to see the two get back on the court together. Even though these two players reuniting was thrilling, there were definitely some questions that people feared. The Rockets are known to focus their offense around shooting, as a team they take the most threes in the NBA. How will Westbrook, a non-shooter connect with the Rockets? It did take a minute for the MVP to get comfortable with this new team which is common for superstars after joining a new team. Westbrook started the season averaging 21.7 points, with percentages of 21.6% from the perimeter, and 39.8% from the floor. As we got deeper into the season, Westbrook was getting more comfortable with James Harden and the Houston Rockets as he bounced back becoming one of the top players in the league from the beginning of 2020 all the way till the stoppage caused by COVID-19 in March. During this time Westbrook averaged 31.7 points, 6.8 assists, and 8.1 rebounds while progressing his percentages to 52.7% from the floor and 31.5% of his shots from the perimeter. Trading Clint Capela and going small ball was also a great help to Westbrook, this allowed the paint to be open for Westbrook to complete his signature attacks. Hearing that Westbrook no longer holds ample value does indeed bother me, especially considering the overall season Westbrook possessed. Westbrook was one of the only three players to gather 400 assists, 450 rebounds, and 1500 total points along with Lebron James and Luka Doncic. Westbrooks play in the postseason explains why many Houston fans supported the MVP to be traded, but to me that seems very dishonorable, considering he was injured towards the end of the season which was an obstacle. Not only were his field goal percentages the best they have been during his Hall of Fame career, but he had his best scoring season since his 2016-2017 MVP season where he led the league. Viewers have based his whole season on the Rockets from an unfortunate injury that leads to a rocky postseason. To me, it feels like the media and viewers love to shine a light on the negative without taking a full look at everything. Westbrook has received a great amount of hate throughout the years, but to the haters, he isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It is truly sad how his 2019-2020 season has gone overlooked, but I am very excited to see him begin his new journey with the Washington Wizards.
