The Houston Rockets are in a weird place in which they have a team that has been one of the best in the league over the course of the last two seasons, but as they’re currently constructed, they still might be a piece away from really contending for a title.
The team considered moving both Chris Paul and Clint Capela at varying points during the offseason and considered sign and trade options for free agent Jimmy Butler. None of these options worked out for Houston, but it isn’t exactly stopping the team from exploring all of their options.
With the Oklahoma City Thunder trading away Paul George, Russell Westbrook has become available as the Thunder are pushing toward a full rebuild. Naturally, Westbrook has been mentioned in trade rumors to the Rockets.
Instagram user ChrisPaulPointGod posted a photo of Westbrook, Chris Paul and James Harden with the caption asking “would you wanna see this?”
Paul happened to catch the post and liked it, maybe suggesting that he would welcome a move to bring Westbrook into the fold.
It’s hard to imagine what adding Westbrook onto the Rockets would look like as the team already has two high-usage guards on the roster, and Westbrook isn’t the kind of shooter who would be effective enough to play off ball. This past season, the Rockets struggled when Harden was forced to play off the ball, with the offense becoming stagnant with Paul initiating things.
Something has to change, though, and it wouldn’t be shocking if the Rockets traded for another one of the NBA’s biggest stars — especially one who has averaged a triple-double for three consecutive seasons. Westbrook is incredibly flawed, but also one of the hardest working players in the NBA.
(h/t reddit)
