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When evaluating the end of Daryl Morey’s tenure as general manager of the Houston Rockets, one can’t help but look at the Chris Paul trade as one of the final bold moves he made in effort to make the Rockets a championship team.
In 2019, Morey and the Rockets traded Paul, two draft picks and two pick swaps to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook.
In hindsight, this move — along with the reported discord between Paul and James Harden that precipitated it — feels like the beginning of the end of Morey’s tenure.
Like the trade of Paul, Morey’s announcement Thursday that he is stepping down from the Rockets wasn’t completely unexpected or out-of-the-blue, but it is a sort of “wow” movement nevertheless, one that will have wide-ranging impact around the league.
While trading Paul wasn’t surprising, getting Westbrook in return sent a shock around the basketball world. The Rockets hoped to get a younger player, a healthier athlete, and a teammate that Harden would get along with.
Westbrook was incredible in January and February of this season, but he didn’t fit next to Harden as well as Paul did. He was a major benefactor of Morey’s final bold move as general manager, trading Clint Capela in effort to completely open the lane and play with no center on the court.
But Westbrook’s future in Houston is not solidified. The New York Knicks are reportedly interested in him, and Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta would like to avoid paying luxury tax. The easiest way to stay under that level with the expected salary cap decrease is to trade Westbrook.
It’s not unlike Paul’s situation with the Thunder, but the players’ contracts and status around the league do have a key difference.
Paul has two seasons left on his deal, both of which come with a salary greater than $40 million.
Westbrook has three years left, the final of which maxes out at $47 million.
After Paul’s All-NBA Second Team season, he is an attractive trade piece for some. Westbrook’s contract, along with the most recent memories of him struggling through injury in the playoffs, may scare some teams off.
If Houston does not move him and Fertitta ducks the tax in a different way, how can the Rockets improve to continue pushing against other dominant Western Conference foes?
ESPN’s Zach Lowe wrote:
“The Westbrook trade leaves a stain. For the first time since acquiring Harden, the Rockets’ short- and medium-term future feel rickety.”
They’re either submitting to salary cap purgatory with a team whose contention status is questionable, or punting on a trade in which they had to give up Paul and picks. In the long-term — well, Oklahoma City has control of four Houston picks from 2021-2026.
Morey is unarguably one of the most impactful general managers over the last 13 years. He helped usher in small-ball, put together prolific offenses, and helped lead the Rockets to the second-best record from 2007-08 through 2020.
As he steps down, the Rockets will have to figure out their next direction, even while part of their future is owed to the Thunder.