Russell Westbrook traded to Houston Rockets for Chris Paul and 2024 2026 1st round pick and swaps

[DonKnock]

I think the Rockets have to win right now, this year, or things could get really ugly for the Rockets. Russ' athleticism is starting to slip, his game is not going to age well.

OKC will do well. They've got plenty of picks upcoming. Will they get back to a championship contender? Who knows, but they'll field a good team.

Hoping we get a backup PF at the trade deadline.

 

[Alexander The Great]

Hoping we get a backup PF at the trade deadline.

any names?

 

[Primetime]

I think the Rockets have to win right now, this year, or things could get really ugly for the Rockets. Russ' athleticism is starting to slip, his game is not going to age well.

OKC will do well. They've got plenty of picks upcoming. Will they get back to a championship contender? Who knows, but they'll field a good team.

We've had to win it all for the past 3 years or things would get ugly.

Things have got ugly. D'Antoni on borrowed time. Maybe Morey too.

We still have the talent but it's the IQ and coaching in games 5-7 of the WCSF, if not WCFs that will be the concern, as it always is. We'll be straight in everything prior to that.

 

[DonKnock]

any names?

I think the realistic targets are going to be Markieff Morris and Dario Saric but I would love to get Bjelica or Bertans to have a real shooter on this team for once.


Alternative would be to wait for someone like Marvin Williams to get bought out or go after Harry Giles, idk if he is in King’s long term plans

 

[Spence]

With the Warriors gap year we are going to have to wrestle it away from the LA teams.

 

[QuintessentialBM]

As a fan living in Oklahoma, I'm all for this. Right now I consider this a short term win that can turn into a long term W... only if Presti can sucessfully rebuild the team. I personally still hold him in high regard and most fans don't blame him for the direction of the franchise post Harden/KD/Westbrook era(It was the owner that didn't want to pay Harden that set the events in motion). However, he will be on the clock on while undergoing this rebuilding project. Right now, he's doing everything correctly.

Trading Westbrook was smart and necessary because Russy is what he is, and outside of a soul-searching miracle, Westbrook isn't going to change his personality or his game. I won't say you can't win with a player like him, but it's very difficult. Plus, Donovan cannot control a player like Westbrook, so the best thing you can do is to ship him off! Even if, somehow, the Rockets win a championship with Harden and Westbrook, this trade was necessary.(Y'all gonna talk shyt forever tho).

Now, as to why Chris Paul? The answer is quite simple. He has one year less than Westbrook on his contract which won't matter if you're gonna be losing/not making the playoffs any time soon. I personally believe that Chris Paul has some value, but he will have to prove it next season. I think CP3 would be a good mentor to Schroeder or any of the incoming PG that OKC will draft in the near future, but I seriously doubt that he would want to do that for the next 2 seasons, then retire.... he wants a ring, so he's gonna try to play his way out of OKC to a contender before the trade deadline next season. If he cannot do that, then he truly is "washed" and needs to retire.... or just retire now and be done with it.

This trade for Houston, "could" work out, but I'm leaning towards it being a long term L... because of the reasons I stated about Westbrook's ego and game, in addition to the fact that D'antoni cannot make this union work neither. Harden and Westbrook aren't the young guns from OKC trying to make a name for themselves... Harden should have been more careful for what he asked for....

Hopefully, Sam Presti can rebuild OKC fairly quickly and not have OKC in perpetual rebuild mode like the Knicks.

My post is aging pretty well... We might still make the playoffs.

 

[Playaz Eyez]

I think he meant they won the trade

Oh I know, but his post was still wrong

 

[blac_da_rappa]

Hoping we get a backup PF at the trade deadline.

Just think if they kept Grant ..not sure why they traded him

 

[THE MACHINE]