Russell Westbrook is no longer content with remaining in Houston. Just last season, Westbrook found himself in a trade as the Oklahoma City Thunder dished out the franchise guard to the Houston Rockets to begin building a new regime.
Westbrook was then viewed as the sidekick who could play alongside James Harden and help the Rockets finally get past the Western Conference Finals. Both Westbrook and Harden had decent individual seasons — and the Rockets snagged the fourth seed in the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
But Houston didn’t get very far once they advanced past the first round. The Los Angeles Lakers took care of the Rockets with ease in the second round of the playoffs this past season. The second-round exit resulted Houston losing head coach Mike D’Antoni and their highly-touted General Manager, Daryl Morey.
With those two out of the building, the team’s stars, Harden and Westbrook, are reportedly worried about the future of the Houston Rockets. The organization continues to assure them they are going to remain competitive in 2020-2021, but Westbrook seemingly isn’t buying it.
On Wednesday night, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Westbrook has requested a trade from the Houston Rockets. While many believe the New York Knicks might be his most popular suitor right now, the Charlotte Hornets have recently emerged as a potential destination for the former NBA MVP.
“Sources tell me the Hornets have emerged as a potential suitor for Westbrook,” Charania reported on Thursday morning. “A couple of other teams have been mentioned as a possibility for the one-time league MVP, but in Charlotte there are movable better contracts as well as the Jordan brand connection for Westbrook. So far in talks, the Rockets have been protective of James Harden and Russell Westbrook, but there is plenty of time [for changes] between now and Wednesday’s draft.”
While the likelihood of Harden getting moved this offseason seems slim, there’s a good chance we’ve seen the last of Russell Westbrook in Houston. Soon, we’ll see which team can land the 32-year-old through the trade market.
