Rockets trade Westbrook to Wizards for Wall amid Harden uncertainty
The Houston Rockets have reportedly traded All-Star Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards in exchange for John Wall.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Rockets dealt 2017 NBA MVP Westbrook for injury-hit five-time All-Star Wall and a first-round draft pick.
The shock trade comes amid uncertainty over Rockets superstar James Harden, who is reportedly eyeing a move to the Brooklyn Nets.
Westbrook reunited with former Oklahoma City Thunder team-mate Harden in Houston at the start of 2019-20, but his stint with the Rockets – who gave up Chris Paul, two protected first-round picks and other draft considerations – was short-lived.
In their first season back together in Houston, Harden and Westbrook became the first pair of team-mates in NBA history to average 25.0-plus points and seven-plus assists per game in the same season.
Westbrook averaged 27.2 points and seven assists per game for the Rockets, who had their 14th consecutive season at .500 or better but failed to reach the NBA Finals – the longest streak of its kind in NBA history.
But Westbrook’s struggles were evident in the playoffs – shooting just 24.2 per cent from three-point range and 53.1 per cent from the free-throw line.
Westbrook was the first player in NBA history to shoot under 25 per cent from three and under 60 per cent from the line in a single postseason (minimum 30 attempts in both categories).
Houston had a 29-13 record when Westbrook shot less than five times from beyond the arc compared to 10-13 when attempting five or more.
Westbrook, meanwhile, has a career average of 19.6 points, 9.0 assists and 6.1 rebounds in Washington.
As for Wall, he has not played rupturing his left Achilles tendon in January last year, having initially undergone season-ending left heel surgery.
Wall, who has appeared in just 73 games since the start of the 2017-18 season, is fourth for career points for the Wizards after being drafted first by the Washington franchise in 2010.
