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Thunder deal Russell Westbrook to Rockets for Chris Paul

By Grind City Culture -




 The Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to trade Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul, first-round picks in 2024 and 2026, pick swaps in 2021 and 2025, league sources tell ESPN.


According to the report, Westbrook wanted to play with his former Thunder teammate James Harden, and OKC general manager Sam Presti worked with Westbrook to make the deal happen.
After years of playoff relevance, the Thunder switched gears to a rebuild this offseason when Paul George asked to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers to join Kawhi Leonard. The Thunder granted the request in a deal that netted multiple first-round draft picks in return.
The George deal signaled the end of an era with Westbrook in Oklahoma City, as it made no sense for a rebuilding franchise to keep an MVP-caliber player on a max deal on the roster as it looked to start from scratch.
For the Rockets, the move lends credence to reports that there were growing tensions between Paul and Harden, who suffered a second straight playoff exit at the hands of the Golden State Warriors this season.
Paul is one of the great playmakers in the history of the game and often found himself standing idly by on an offense that centered around isolation plays for Harden. That the pair couldn’t lead the Rockets to the NBA Finals appearance and championship that the franchise so desperately craves proved enough motivation for general manager Daryl Morey to make a major move.
With the Warriors dynasty ostensibly broken up with the departure of Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets and ACL injury to Klay Thompson, the Western Conference finds itself in an entirely new dynamic.
The Rockets saw an opportunity to make a move to compete with the Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and other contenders who hope to take the conference throne the Warriors have held for five consecutive seasons.

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