Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets

In the case of Russell Westbrook, it is no secret that he wants to be traded anymore. Last offseason, the Houston Rockets made their final push to win a championship by trading away future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul and an abundance of first-round draft picks in exchange for the triple-double machine in Russell Westbrook. Ultimately, the Rockets failed to make it past the Western Conference Semifinals and as a result, caused change in the Houston Rockets organization.

Both head coach Mike D’Antoni and GM Daryl Morey stepped down from their positions and then the big news broke. Both Russell Westbrook and James Harden made it known that they want out of Houston and want nothing to do with being a part of the rebuild. Both players are entering the back-half of their careers and still in their primes and as a result, do not want their window to win a championship in their career to be wasted. 

Focusing more on Russell Westbrook than James Harden, Westbrook is not as valued around the league as the Rockets may have wanted. According to multiple sources, the Rockets have only fielded calls from a handful of teams about trading the nine-time All-Star compared to the attention Harden has received. Many teams view Russell Westbrook as more of a liability than a key contributor, which could cause the Rockets to have trouble moving him for the price they are asking for. 

Whether or not the Rockets decide to move on from Westbrook this offseason, it is expected that he will not be on the roster by the end of the 2020-21 NBA season. It seems more and more likely that Houston is willing to draw this process out with their star players and enter training camp without making a move. 

Whatever the Rockets decide to do, it will most likely have no impact on Westbrook and his future with the Rockets as he is dead-set on getting out of there. Whether it is the Knicks or the Bulls who end up with Russell Westbrook, he will be a key contributor to a young team on the rise.