As James Harden eyes a move to the Brooklyn Nets to form the next NBA super team with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook also wants to be traded by the Houston Rockets. As it turns out, both of these may be related to one another.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the trade request Westbrook made to the Rockets could have been in response to Harden’s interest in forming a superteam with the Nets.
“So I think Westbrook, who is kind of the forgotten man here, I think he goes in and is like ‘You’re not asking for a trade. I’m asking for a trade,’” Windhorst said.
It appears as though Westbrook is stuck in a disadvantaged situation when it comes to landing on an NBA team that can legitimately contend for a championship. Not many teams need point guards and his massive contract has substantially limited his trade value— unlike Harden.
The Charlotte Hornets have emerged as the ‘most likely’ landing spot for Westbrook. He would be able to return to his desired role of being the ultra-high usage lead guard he once was with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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The Eastern Conference is getting stronger and could become the new power conference if James Harden ends up with the Brooklyn Nets or Philadelphia 76ers. That will make things difficult for Westbrook to make much noise with the Hornets in the NBA playoffs.
Last season, Russell Westbrook put together an impressive season with averages of 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists. His pairing with James Harden wasn’t quite as cohesive as it was during his time with Paul George on the Thunder, but neither combination led to an NBA title.
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