Russell Westbrook Traded From Houston Rockets To Washington Wizards For John Wall, First-Round Pick

A blockbuster trade Wednesday night will reportedly send Russell Westbrook packing for the second straight season, this time from the Houston Rockets to the Washington Wizards for John Wall and a first-round pick. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was first to report.

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Westbrook, the 2016-17 league MVP, is a 32-year-old, nine-time All-Star who averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game for a Houston team that lost in the second round of the playoffs last year. But there have been questions over the last couple of seasons about his shot efficiency, or lack thereof.

Russ made the All-Star game last year, but has three years and $132 million left on his contract, including a 2022-2023 player option. He and James Harden reportedly both asked for trades over the last couple of weeks after the departure of Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni and general manager Daryl Morey, but it appears Westbrook gets his wish. Westbrook was traded in the 2019 offseason from Oklahoma City to Houston for Chris Paul.

Westbrook now teams with Bradley Beal and a talented young frontcourt that includes recently re-signed forward Davis Bertans, 2019 first-round pick Rui Hachimura and 2020 first-rounder Deni Avdija. The expectations will now be even greater and more immediate for Washington to make the playoffs.

Wall is a 30-year-old, five-time All-Star who hasn’t played in two years thanks to a ruptured Achilles’ tendon and other setbacks. He has about $133 million remaining on his contract over the next three seasons, including a 2022-2023 player option. But he reportedly has a 15% trade kicker in his contract that could make the financial costs even higher for Houston.

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The University of Kentucky product also reportedly recently asked for a trade and is finally healthy. He’ll get to team with Harden, PJ Tucker, Eric Gordon, recently signed forward Christian Wood and the rest of the Rockets squad that now includes former Wildcats teammate DeMarcus Cousins.

Houston trades a disgruntled All-Star in Westbrook and will see how well Wall can return from serious long-term injury while getting a first rounder for taking on the more uncertain asset.

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