The Houston Rockets were finally able to make the big splash that they’ve been looking for all offseason by trading away Chris Paul and a host of pick for Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook will reunite with James Harden for the first time since the 2011-12 season when the trio of Harden, Westbrook and Kevin Durant lost in the NBA Finals to the Miami Heat.
Since the breakup of that young core in Oklahoma City, all three players have won MVP awards. For the Rockets, they’re bringing in a guy who has finished averaging a triple-double in each of the last three seasons.
This does mean the loss of Paul, who signed with the Rockets two years ago in hopes of being the sidekick who would help get the Rockets over the hump and into the NBA Finals. They’ve been close in each of the last two seasons, but the team was looking to shake things up by either moving Paul or center Clint Capela.
This does probably mean that Capela is staying in Houston for the time being, but with GM Daryl Morey, there’s no telling how much he’s willing to do to try to improve on the team.
