Another major transfer came ahead of the NBA season, when the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards exchanged the top 2 PGs.
After many rumors, the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards came to an agreement on the Russell Westbrook exchange with John Wall. Accordingly, these two defenders will change their shirt colors, and the Rockets will receive an additional 1 round pick in 2023.
However, Wizards also defended this pick quite well. If their 2023 1st round pick is in the top 14, the Rockets will have to take 2024’s pick. However, if that pick continues to be in the top 12 of 2024, Houston will have to wait. The same scenario still plays out if the pick is again in the top 10 in 2025 as well as the top 8 in 2026. In the worst case scenario, the Rockets only have 2 round 2 picks.
Wizards and Rockets did not take long to come to an agreement. Rumors of Westbrook’s departure arose when the defender expressed his desire to play at another club to play in his own style. Then, the Wizards intend to exchange Wall to get the service of former defender OKC Thunder.
GM Tommy Sheppard and Rafael Stone of Wizards and the Rockets have not spoken for the past few weeks, but have entered negotiations on the afternoon of December 2 (local time). It took only a few hours for the two directors to come to an agreement on a deal.
Both Wall and Westbrook are the top PGs of the NBA. Russell Westbrook has only played a full season in Houston, when he left OKC Thunder in an exchange involving Chris Paul. The 2017 MVP stands with former teammate James Harden, ready to take on a smaller role in Thunder. The Rockets reached the Western Semi-Finals, losing to the LA Lakers, the team then crowned Champion.
Meanwhile, John Wall has been sidelined for nearly two seasons due to multiple injuries. Wall’s injuries are serious and both run the risk of shortening his career. The five-time All-Star defender will be present in an inherently disturbing Rockets, when the team partes with GM Daryl Morey, coach Mike D’Antoni and Robert Covington.