Could A Russell Westbrook Trade Actually Happen?
The Houston Rockets will enter the NBA offseason with the expectation of keeping the James Harden-Russell Westbrook duo intact. However, that doesn’t mean teams from around the league won’t try to make a play for Westbrook with an intriguing offer.
Per The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, there have been two NBA teams already linked as having an interest in trading for Westbrook— the Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks.
It’s unclear what either team would be willing to give up in a potential trade with the Rockets in exchange for Westbrook. The Clippers exhausted their 1st round picks when they acquired Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder while the Knicks have drafted plenty of busts.
The Knicks make the most logical sense out of the two as a potential landing spot for Westbrook. Mostly due to the fact that Houston has no real reason to help a fellow Western Conference contender improve by sending them a former league MVP in a trade.
Unless the Rockets receive an offer that truly blows them away, it’s just difficult to foresee a potential trade for Westbrook getting completed this NBA offseason. Houston wants to continue to compete in the Western Conference and Westbrook certainly helps those efforts.
