No team’s offseason was crazier than what the Houston Rockets had to deal with. Not only were there rumors about both their former league MVPs, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, wanting to be traded, but they actually decided to move on from one of them. On Dec. 2nd, the Rockets finally granted Westbrook his wish after one season in Houston in exchange for former Washington Wizards franchise-player John Wall.
Earlier in the offseason, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Russell Westbrook wanted out of Houston, which came as a surprise to a lot of NBA fans around the nation. Westbrook was traded to the Rockets last offseason for a large haul of draft picks and future Hall-of-Fame point guard, Chris Paul, to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The duo of Westbrook and Harden looked to be a strong duo in the Western Conference for the foreseeable future, but in a year that has not been short of surprises, Russell Westbrook will now suit up for the Washington Wizards.
John Wall has not played in an NBA game since December 26, 2018 and has suffered some major injuries over the years. He not only comes back ready to play with a chip on his shoulder, but will have one of the most dangerous scoring options in the league in James Harden to rely on. Houston is still and will be James Harden’s team until he leaves/retires and the departure of Russell Westbrook should actually help him both statistically and on the court.
Both James Harden and Russ seemed to get along just fine with each other, but during games, since both guards are so ball-dominant, they seemed to bat heads at times. Now, with Westbrook gone, Harden can not only go back to being the sole, primary ball-handler for the Rockets, but be the focal point of the Rockets no matter who is on the court. He has led the league for three consecutive seasons and with Russ gone, should have no problem leading the league again this upcoming season.
Trading Russell Westbrook was one of many offseason transactions the Rockets made this year and entering a 2020-21 NBA season where the season could be shortened, every game matters a little bit more. The question that remains to be answered for the Rockets is whether or not their offseason moves are enough to keep them in contention in the Western Conference.
