After signing up with the Houston Rockets in 2019, Russell Westbrook proved his superstar status in the regular season but faltered during the bubble games in Orlando. The Rockets failed to reach the NBA Finals last season and are seen to make drastic changes, including the possibility of trading Westbrook.
If the rumors will prove accurate, the breaking of Westbrook's partnership with James Harden after only one season will not come as a surprise. For NBA insiders, it was a failed experiment on Houston's part and the team cannot be blamed for making the required adjustments.
Overall, Westbrook wasn't bad at all during the last campaign and he turned in a triple-double performance during the regular games, topped by his impressive 27.2 points per game. But the former MVP struggled with health issues when the NBA resumed from a long hiatus. Coming from COVID-19 and an injury, the Houston guard was far from the picture of efficiency in the playoff games.
The Rockets wanting to move on from Westbrook in the offseason is understandable and Clutch Points said, that likely will be the case in the coming weeks. The report picked up from the published story by Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer.
And if O'Connor is to be believed, two NBA clubs are racing to win the signature of Westbrook once the Rockets have opened the door for negotiations.
If Houston is serious to get a good deal on Westbrook then the Los Angeles Clippers should be on the top of the list. There is little doubt that the Clippers can afford to absorb the 31-year-old's expensive contract, which will cost the buying the team no less than $42 million per year.
It is also known that Kawhi Leonard is looking for a more dependable point man to work with so the L.A. club is sure ready to offer a good deal in exchange for Westbrook. The possibility is high that if the Rockets are interested, losing Westbrook will mean getting their hands on Paul George.
On the other hand, the prospect of playing for the Knicks is not a bad thing at all for Westbrook. Bleacher Report recalled that New York was considered when talks came out last year that OKC will place the star on the market.
Westbrook was reported then as accepting to the idea of donning the Knicks jersey. If the deal pushes through then it will not be a gigantic adjustment for him. And one good thing going for him in New York, the team badly needs a superstar and his arrival is certainly a cause for celebration.
With the Knicks too, Westbrook will be the franchise player and that means there is no need to worry about competing with another superstar such as the case with Harden.
