It is an end of an era in Oklahoma City and Houston as Russell Westbrook has been traded to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul, two first-round draft picks and two pick swaps.
Russell Westbrook has spent his entire 11 year career with the Oklahoma City Thunder since being drafted fourth overall by the team in 2008. With the Thunder, Westbrook played 826 games averaging 23 points, 8.4 assists, seven rebounds and 1.8 steals including averaging a triple-double in the last three seasons. He won the league MVP in 2017, made eight All-Star games winning two All-Star MVPs, and led the league in scoring and assists twice. Westbrook was the last player remaining from the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2012 NBA Finals team that lost in five games to the Miami Heat.
Russell Westbrook will reunite with his former Thunder teammate and friend James Harden. Westbrook and Harden were teammates for three seasons including their 2012 NBA Finals team. James Harden would be traded to the Houston Rockets the following season after OKC was unwilling to pay him the money needed to retain him on the team.
Chris Paul leaves the Houston Rockets after two seasons averaging 17.1 points, eight assists, five rebounds and 1.8 steals. In his first season with the Rockets, he led the team to a franchise best 65-17 record and an appearance in the Western Conference Finals Paul’s first ever Conference Finals appearance.
Breaking: Thunder trade Russell Westbrook to Houston for Chris Paul and 2024, 2026 first-round picks, pick swaps in 2021 and 2025, per @wojespn pic.twitter.com/SY3kF5g2LX
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 12, 2019
