Sources — OKC trades Russ to Rockets for Paul – ESPN

The Oklahoma Metropolis Suppose maintain agreed to a blockbuster alternate that may send Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets, the place he’ll be reunited with James Harden, league sources told ESPN.

The Rockets will send guard Chris Paul, two proper first-round picks (2024 and 2026, each proper Nos. 1-4) and two clutch swaps (2021 and 2025) to the Suppose, league sources told ESPN.

The Rockets are reuniting two former MVP guards who started their careers along with the Suppose. This was once a deal Harden and Westbrook had been every passionate about, league sources said.

Suppose overall manager Sam Presti worked with Westbrook and his agent, Thad Foucher, to abet honor the celebrity guard’s hopes of fiddling with the Rockets, league sources said. The Suppose furthermore discussed a that you just will likely be believe of take care of the Miami Heat, sources said.

In making the alternate, the Rockets believe that the age distinction between Paul (34) and Westbrook (30) offers them a bigger probability to broaden the championship window of Harden, who will turn 30 subsequent month.

“We’re enraged to maintain Russell Westbrook,” Rockets proprietor Tilman Fertitta told Houston’s Fox 26. “I’d explore him play for Oklahoma Metropolis, and he’s so athletic. At the identical time, this franchise proper had the two years with basically the most wins it be ever had in consecutive years, and we have not got completed that without Chris Paul. Chris Paul is improbable, and he’s gonna be sadly passed over.”

Oklahoma Metropolis has accumulated eight first-round picks since the June 20 NBA draft, making a prolonged sport unseen in novel NBA historical previous. With the likelihood that Oklahoma Metropolis may aid its have 2020 clutch (high-20 proper to Philadelphia) and 2022 clutch (lottery proper to Atlanta), the Suppose may maintain 15 first-round picks and swap rights in four diversified seasons between 2020 and 2026.

The Suppose may proceed to work to receive a brand fresh group for Paul, league sources said. The nine-time All-Star has three years, $124 million left on his contract — one yr fewer than Westbrook would maintain had on OKC’s books. If the Suppose retain Paul, they may maintain a advisor lineup that currently entails him, heart Steven Adams and ahead Danilo Gallinari.

If Oklahoma Metropolis wanted to incentivize a alternate for Paul, the Suppose may use piece of their large pool of picks to facilitate a deal. Paul has some particular historical previous with Oklahoma Metropolis, having played there with the Hornets starting up in 2005-06, when Hurricane Katrina compelled the franchise to hasty relocate.

Houston hoped to receive third-group destination preferable to Paul but finally leaves these subsequent steps to Presti and Paul’s agent, Leon Rose, league sources said. They worked together final yr on a the same difficulty with Carmelo Anthony. Miami stays a risk for Paul.

Caesars Sportsbook moved the Rockets’ odds to comprehend the 2019-20 NBA title from 10-1 to 7-1, within the abet of most productive the Los Angeles Lakers (7-2), LA Clippers (4-1) and Milwaukee Bucks (9-2).

“I said at the pause of the yr, ‘We’re never gonna stand pat,'” Fertitta said. “We’re continuously gonna are trying to fetch higher. I enlighten this makes us a bigger group. I despise to lose Chris Paul, but we felt savor we did what we had to invent to change precise into a bigger group.

“I enlighten it’d be very provocative and fun. James and Russell wanted to play together. It has to be fun this yr.”

Westbrook and Harden will likely be the fourth pair of teammates to play together after every a hit an MVP award inner the old three seasons, per Elias Sports Bureau analysis.

Westbrook has four years and $171 million final on his contract, with a participant option within the final yr of his deal location to pay him $47 million must he opt in.

After Paul George‘s alternate to the Clippers, Westbrook and Foucher worked with the Suppose to receive an agreeable direction ahead on Westbrook’s future with the franchise. With free agency effectively concluded, and Westbrook’s checklist of most approved destinations extremely rapid, the timing made alternate negotiations advanced.

Peaceable, the Suppose wanted to accommodate Westbrook’s wishes as grand as that you just will likely be believe of, with his first and major desire to reunite with Harden in Houston, whereas furthermore finding a alternate that fit OKC’s goal of rebuilding.

Drafted fourth overall by the Suppose (then the Seattle SuperSonics) in 2008, Westbrook leaves as the franchise’s all-time chief in aspects (18,859); second in assists (6,897); third in rebounds (5,760) and steals (1,442); and fourth in video games played (821). In the Oklahoma Metropolis generation, Westbrook ranks first across the board.

Westbrook won the MVP in 2016-17, making NBA historical previous as the first participant since Oscar Robertson in 1962 to sensible a triple-double. He broke Robertson’s mark of triple-doubles in a season with 42, after which went on to sensible a triple-double in two more seasons. Westbrook ranks tied for second all time with Magic Johnson at 138 profession triple-doubles, within the abet of most productive Robertson (181).

Westbrook is undoubtedly one of proper 10 gamers in NBA historical previous to reveal 15,000 aspects, 5,000 rebounds and 5,000 assists with a single franchise, seven of whom are within the Hall of Popularity. The final two are Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

Since Westbrook was once drafted by OKC, most productive the Spurs (613) and Rockets (541) maintain more wins than the Suppose (538). Westbrook was once piece of a historical bustle of picks by the Suppose, as the supreme group in NBA historical previous to grab three consecutive future MVPs (Kevin Durant, Westbrook and Harden). Since Westbrook’s debut, the Suppose are the supreme group to maintain three diversified gamers invent within the tip three of MVP balloting (Durant, Westbrook and George). OKC has had 16 All-NBA picks since 2009, basically the most within the NBA in that span.

The Suppose made the playoffs in every of Westbrook and Harden’s three seasons together, going from the 8-seed in 2009-10 to No. 4 in 2010-11 to No. 2 in 2011-12. They reached the NBA Finals of their final season, dropping in 5 video games to Miami, sooner than Oklahoma Metropolis traded Harden to Houston that October.

Westbrook will likely be forever connected to the Suppose as the face of the franchise, pledging his loyalty to the group within the wake of Durant’s departure to the Golden Insist Warriors in 2016. Westbrook re-upped with OKC, stabilizing the roster and offering a direction ahead, after which signed a 5-yr extension in 2017, at the time the supreme contract in NBA historical previous.

Knowledge from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne was once ragged on this reveal.