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The Houston Rockets are trading All-Star guard Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards for John Wall and a future first-round pick, as first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Westbrook had requested a trade out of Houston earlier this offseason, according to multiple media reports.
Now 30 years old, the 6-foot-4 Wall hasn’t played in the NBA since tearing his Achilles in early 2019, which is why Houston is getting both Wall and a draft selection in exchange for Westbrook. The pick is a protected choice in the 2023 first round, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The two GM's — Washington's Tommy Sheppard and Houston's Rafael Stone — hadn't talked in weeks on the deal, but connected this afternoon and had a deal done within a few hours, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/qmuPclNoU5
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 3, 2020
Sources: Protection on the first-round pick that the Wizards traded to Houston in Russell Westbrook/John Wall trade: 2023, Lottery; 2024, Top 12; 2025, Top 10; 2026, Top 8; then becomes two second-rounders.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 3, 2020
Wall has played nine seasons in Washington, averaging 19.0 points (43.3% FG) and 9.2 assists in 35.9 minutes per game. The No. 1 overall pick in the NBA’s 2010 draft, he’s been an All-Star five times in his career.
Wall has connections to the current Rockets from playing with new center DeMarcus Cousins at the University of Kentucky, and he’s also believed to have a positive relationship with James Harden. For his part, Wall has said that he’s now healthy and ready to go for the 2020-21 season.
Wall has nearly an identical contract to Westbrook, with each guard signed for the next two seasons and with a massive player option ($47+ million) for a third season in 2022-23. In addition to leadership qualities, both floor generals are very well regarded around the league for their elite speed, athleticism, and transition play. Westbrook is seen by most as slightly more explosive, while Wall has more range as a shooter.
Besides granting Westbrook’s recent trade request, the potential upside for the Rockets is that Wall is nearly two years younger, and with significantly less mileage in terms of career games played. He’s also shot better than 30% on 3-pointers in each of his last six seasons, whereas Westbrook hasn’t exceeded 30% on treys since his 2016-17 MVP season.
However, there’s also more risk for Houston, since Wall is coming off an Achilles injury and hasn’t proven his form since then. Thus, the Rockets are the team getting additional draft compensation in the swap.
Over 12 NBA seasons, Westbrook has averaged 23.2 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.1 rebounds in 34.6 minutes per game. A former league MVP, Westbrook averaged 27.2 points (47.2% FG), 7.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists last season in what will go down as his only year in Houston.
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