Tag: Houston Rockets Trades

Woj: James Harden wanted John Wall in Houston over Westbrook

“If they can get John Wall back playing at a high level, they’re hopeful that will help to make a case to James Harden,” Woj said.

On Wednesday night, it was reported that John Wall wanted the blockbuster trade that sent him from the Washington Wizards to the Houston Rockets, in exchange for All-Star guard Russell Westbrook.

On Thursday, a report emerged that James Harden — who will play alongside Wall in Houston’s new backcourt — also wanted the deal.

Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:

[Harden] had a preference of John Wall over Westbrook. … Whether that’s going to be enough to convince him to want to be there long-term, the Rockets aren’t sure about that.

They do have a cushion to work with. Remember, James Harden is under contract for two more years. So they’re going to start the season with Harden and Wall, and they’re hopeful that John Wall can get back to that All-Star form — a five-time All-Star, a former No. 1 overall pick. If they can get John Wall back playing at a high level, they’re hopeful that will help to make a case to James Harden.

By all appearances, Wall and Harden have had a positive relationship over the years, with Wall competing in Harden’s inaugural charity basketball game in Houston in 2017. They also played in pickup games together this October in Miami. Relative to Westbrook, Wall is two years younger and was a superior 3-point shooter in his most recent seasons prior to injury — which may help to better space the floor for Harden in 2020-21.

As for Harden’s long-term future, he reportedly requested a trade to the Nets earlier this offseason, which the Rockets have thus far resisted due to Brooklyn’s lack of high-level assets in potential packages. That said, there has yet to be any indication that Harden has walked back his request, which leaves the Rockets in a precarious position.

While it doesn’t seem that Wall’s addition is enough at this moment to convince Harden of committing further to the Rockets, the fact that the move was apparently Harden’s preference could prove helpful as the team works to restore its relationship with the superstar guard.

Now 30 years old, Wall played nine seasons in Washington since his selection as the top pick in the 2010 draft. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 19.0 points (43.3% FG) and 9.2 assists in 35.9 minutes per game.

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Washington reacts to the shocking trade of John Wall to Houston

Wall was a member of the Wizards since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2010 draft, and he developed tight bonds with the community.

Washington traded 30-year-old guard John Wall and a future first-round draft pick to the Houston Rockets for 32-year-old Russell Westbrook, presumably (at least in part) because the Wizards didn’t want the injury risk of Wall coming off an Achilles tear that cost him all of last season.

Nonetheless, it’s hard to characterize Wall’s decade in Washington — which began with his selection at No. 1 overall in the 2010 NBA draft — as anything but a success. In all, Wall played in nine seasons there, averaging 19.0 points (43.3% FG) and 9.2 assists in 35.9 minutes per game, and he was a five-time All-Star over that span.

During that time, Wall also became well known for his extensive community work in and aaround Washington, DC.

As a result, many members of the Washington organization — as well as fans and media covering the team — were sad to see him go. After Wednesday’s trade announcement, here’s a sampling of their reaction.

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Kevin Durant on working out with John Wall: ‘He looked amazing’

“He looked amazing to me,” Durant said of Wall after playing with him this offseason. “He looked great. I’m excited to see John play again.

When Kevin Durant met with the media Tuesday at Brooklyn’s opening of training camp, he didn’t know that John Wall was on the verge of being traded from the Washington Wizards to the Houston Rockets.

Nonetheless, Durant did comment on Wall’s physical condition, having played with him in the recently completed NBA offseason. Both Wall and Durant are All-Star players from the Washington, DC area, and each missed the entire 2019-20 season while recovering from an Achilles tear.

As a result, Wall and Durant are working to bounce back, with each counting on 2020-21 for a return to form. Per Durant, Wall is ready to go:

He looked amazing to me. He looked great. … I’m excited to see John play again. He’s been out for two years now. I know he wants to go out there and play great basketball and lead that team, so I’m excited for him that he’s back.

In October, Wall said he “felt young” heading into this season.

“I feel young, to be honest,”Wall told NBC Sports Washington. “I hooped today and I [said] I didn’t even feel like I played today. You know, that’s the most important thing to me, just locking in to have my body prepared for a whole season, no matter how many minutes I play.”

Wall played nine seasons in Washington, averaging 19.0 points (43.3% FG) and 9.2 assists in 35.9 minutes per game. Since being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft, he’s a five-time NBA All-Star to date..

Now 30 years old, Wall hasn’t played in the league since early 2019 — which is why the Rockets got both Wall and the premium of a future first-round draft pick in exchange for Russell Westbrook. But with the 2020-21 season looming in just a few weeks, Wall hopes to recapture his pre-injury form with the Rockets and make the trade a worthwhile investment.

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Report: John Wall wanted trade from Wizards to Rockets

Wall played in college with new Rockets center DeMarcus Cousins, and he appears to have a good relationship with James Harden.

In an offseason defined by trade requests from Houston’s All-Star backcourt, it seems at least one prior All-Star wanted the Rockets.

After 10 years as a respected leader in Washington, John Wall was reportedly in support of the blockbuster deal moving him to Houston.

Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:

The Wizards are sending Wall and a lottery-protected 2023 first-round NBA draft pick to the Rockets for Westbrook in a deal that both players wanted and had been simmering for weeks, sources said.

In Houston’s official press release announcing the trade, the team pointed out that Wall was teammates in college with new Rockets center DeMarcus Cousins. In the 2009-10 season at the University of Kentucky, the Wall- and Cousins-led Wildcats went 35-3.

Shortly after the trade announcement, Cousins tweeted a wink.

Wall also appears to have had a positive relationship over the years with Rockets star James Harden. In 2017, Wall traveled to Houston for Harden’s charity basketball game, and the All-Star guards played pickup matchups together earlier in the 2020 offseason in Miami.

Wall 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.

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After Westbrook trade, Rockets still have no plans to move Harden

Despite dealing Westbrook, Houston “does not envision a scenario where Harden would be traded before the opener,” per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Despite fulfilling the trade request of co-star Russell Westbrook with a deal sending him to Washington, the Houston Rockets are not anticipating giving James Harden his desired trade to Brooklyn.

After Wednesday night’s blockbuster, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon wrote:

Rockets source: Stance on James Harden has not changed. Houston hopes to be competitive with him this season and does not envision a scenario where Harden would be traded before the opener.

Houston understood that the demand for Russell Westbrook was limited and was willing to settle for the protected first-round pick along with John Wall. The Rockets want a king’s ransom (young franchise cornerstone plus Jrue [Holiday]-esque picks package) in any potential Harden deal.

Assuming new trade acquisition John Wall is healthy, Houston should still have a capable squad in 2020-21 with Harden, Wall, Christian Wood, DeMarcus Cousins, and most of the supporting cast of a group that finished No. 4 in the Western Conference a season ago.

With Harden under contract for at least two more seasons, there’s no reason for the Rockets to make a hasty decision on his future. It seems as if the plan is to see how the new-look group plays on the court, and if things don’t go as desired, a potential Harden transaction could be revisited at the 2021 trade deadline or in the following offseason.

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Rockets trade Russell Westbrook to Wizards for John Wall, draft pick

In exchange for the former MVP, the Rockets are acquiring Wall and a protected first-round pick in the NBA’s 2023 draft.

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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.

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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Rockets announce exit of Robert Covington, arrival of Christian Wood

The Houston Rockets were finally able to finalize their primary transactions from last week, and they sent out two videos for the occasion.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Houston Rockets finally made all of the transactions official from last week’s wave of trade agreements.

As a refresher, the Rockets agreed to trade Robert Covington to Portland last Monday for Trevor Ariza and first-round picks in 2020 and 2021. However, because teams can’t be without a first-round selection in consecutive years, the deal had to wait until after Portland made the “official” choice at No. 16 overall in last Wednesday’s NBA draft.

Covington averaged 11.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in 33.0 minutes per game with the Rockets last season, and the 6-foot-8 forward was among the team’s best and most versatile defenders.

Then, on Wednesday, the Rockets traded that No. 16 pick and Ariza to Detroit for a protected first-round draft choice in 2021. However, that deal couldn’t be made official until after the first trade, since it involved two of the assets that Houston would be receiving from Portland.

Finally, on Friday, the Rockets agreed to sign free agent center Christian Wood, who happened to play for the Pistons last season. Because Detroit had his “early Bird” contract rights, Wood could get more money by working through the Pistons than simply by signing with the Rockets, who were and are above the league’s salary cap. So the original Ariza trade was expanded to include Wood, who was signed-and-traded to Houston.

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Here’s how the team described Wood’s statistical production:

Wood (6-10, 223) was eligible for the 2015 NBA Draft following his sophomore season at UNLV.  The 25-year-old finished eighth in voting for the Most Improved Player award in 2019-20 while averaging 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in 62 games for Detroit.

Over his final 22 games played last season, Wood averaged 19.7 ppg and 8.1 rpg while shooting 56.0% from the floor, 40.3% from 3-point range, and 77.4% from the foul line.  For the season, he joined Enes Kanter (2016-17) as the only players in league history to have averaged at least 13.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg in fewer than 22.0 mpg in a single season.

Contracts involving 2020 free agents could not be made official until this Sunday. Furthermore, teams also typically put newcomers through a physical examination before finalizing their offseason signings. As a result, it took until Tuesday for the entire chain to be completed.

In effect, the Rockets are sending out Covington and have acquired Wood and two protected future first-round draft choices from Detroit and Portland. Here’s what we currently know of the protection terms:

To commemorate Tuesday’s “official” occasion, the Rockets sent out two videos on their official social media channels to thank Covington for his time in Houston and welcome Wood into the fold. Highlight packages of both players can be seen in those embedded video posts.

Training camps for the 2020-21 NBA season open next Tuesday, Dec. 1. Covington will be in Portland, and Wood in Houston. Ariza has since been moved by the Pistons in a separate trade (the third deal involving Ariza in under a week) to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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Report: Rockets prepping for eventual rebuild after James Harden era

“I think what the Rockets are doing right now is they’re prepping for the post-Harden rebuild,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said on a podcast.

Following his recent trade request, the Houston Rockets have come to the realization that James Harden‘s mind is made up, as told by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon on the podcast of colleague Brian Windhorst.

Harden is still under contract with the Rockets for at least two more seasons, which limits his leverage to force a transaction. However, even if a move isn’t imminent, the Rockets may need to begin some preparations.

“Harden doesn’t get to say where he’s traded and basically force the Rockets to take a package that is 60 cents on the dollar for a perennial MVP candidate,” MacMahon said. “I think what the Rockets are doing right now is they’re prepping for the post-Harden rebuild.”

The Rockets acquired two future first-round draft choices this week as part of trades involving veterans Robert Covington and Trevor Ariza.

Among MacMahon’s other podcast comments of note:

The sense I get from the Rockets is that their ambition, their goal, their hope is no longer about salvaging the relationship with James Harden and kind of getting him on board. There’s a realization, you know, his mind is made up. He wants out and there is a determination to say ‘Okay, we get it.’ This happens in the NBA, but just because James Harden wants out doesn’t mean he gets to dictate where and for what [he’s traded]. …

A package for Harden, and listen, this thing has accelerated a lot faster than I anticipated it would. These things are all fluid. We understand that. What the Rockets are saying is ‘We need a young franchise cornerstone type of player and a Jrue Holiday-like package of picks. That’s where conversations have to start.’ And do you see a young franchise cornerstone caliber player on the Nets? Do you consider Caris LeVert either young or a franchise cornerstone?

Harden has played in Houston for the last eight years. Over that span, they’re the only NBA team to make the playoffs in each season, and Harden has been an All-Star every time. The Rockets are also the only Western Conference squad to win at least one playoff series in four straight years, all with Harden as either the MVP or an MVP finalist.

While co-star Russell Westbrook has also requested a trade, MacMahon indicated that he believes the likely course is for the Rockets to keep Westbrook for the time being, in hopes that he could bolster his trade value by playing well during the 2020-21 season. MacMahon didn’t speculate on a potential timetable for any deal involving Harden.

Training camp for the 2020-21 NBA season will begin in home markets on Tuesday, Dec. 1. As of now, it remains to be seen whether Harden and Westbrook will be in Houston at that time.

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Rockets trade Ariza, No. 16 pick to Detroit for future first rounder

Per reports, Houston believes that this deal will allow it to use the larger mid-level exception (worth ~$9.3 million) in free agency.

The reunion between the Houston Rockets and Trevor Ariza — as well as the concept of making a first-round draft choice — was short-lived.

Two days after acquiring Ariza and the No. 16 pick in the 2020 NBA draft for Robert Covington, Houston is sending both to Detroit for a future first-round pick, as first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Here’s the explanation from Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:

The Rockets made the move to be able to go into free agency this week with a full mid-level exception [MLE], worth $9.3 million, rather than the tax-payer mid-level, worth $5.7 million, a person with knowledge of the team’s thinking said. The Rockets also preferred a future pick, rather than one this year, in case needed in a trade, he said.

The downside of using the “full” MLE is that it implements a hard salary cap at the luxury tax “apron” level of ~$138.9 million. Without shedding Ariza’s $12.8-million salary, Houston’s team payroll would have almost certainly exceeded the hard cap if using the larger MLE. Thus, Houston would have been forced to use the smaller “taxpayer” MLE.

The Rockets will generate a $12.8-million traded player exception (TPE) in the deal, since Ariza is being absorbed into cap space by Detroit. However, Houston probably can’t use the TPE and the larger MLE this offseason, since using both would likely push them over the hard cap.

Depending on future moves by Rockets GM Rafael Stone that might alter team payroll, that TPE could potentially be used down the line. (The TPE will last until an equivalent point in the 2021 offseason.)

Per James Edwards III of The Athletic, Detroit’s future first-round pick being sent to Houston is top-16 protected for the next four years; top-10 protected in the following two years; and then top-nine protected. If it is not conveyed after seven seasons, it becomes two second-round picks.

For now, Houston continues its streak of not having made a first-round draft selection since 2015 (when the Rockets took Sam Dekker). In drafts since, Houston has often traded its picks for short-term upgrades to bolster the veteran roster around James Harden. Assuming Houston uses the larger MLE, that’s effectively what they are doing here.

In a separate transaction, but potentially related, the Rockets are buying a 2021 second-round pick from the Pistons (via the Lakers) for $4.6 million in cash. A potential motivation of that deal is that it partly compensates the Pistons, financially, for absorbing Ariza’s contract.

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Rockets don’t feel obligated to trade James Harden to Nets, per ESPN

The Rockets are demanding a “proven, young star” as a centerpiece of any Harden trade, along with a massive package of draft picks.

Despite franchise centerpiece James Harden listing the Brooklyn Nets as his preferred trade destination, the Houston Rockets do not feel obligated to send him there, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Instead, with the 31-year-old under contract for at least two more seasons, the Rockets are using that secure status to canvass the entire NBA in search of the best trade package — if they deal him at all.

Per MacMahon: “The Rockets are demanding an especially steep return for Harden, a perennial MVP candidate who has led the NBA in scoring the last three seasons: a proven, young star as a centerpiece along with a massive picks package, according to sources.”

Despite trade requests by both Harden and co-star Russell Westbrook, the Rockets are “willing to get uncomfortable” by keeping them in Houston for the 2020-21 season, according to MacMahon’s report.

Though Westbrook’s contract is nearly identical to that of Harden, Houston understands that Harden — as an MVP finalist in 2020 and an All-NBA First Team member — will command more on the trade market than Westbrook would. However, the Rockets still aren’t willing to move Westbrook without assets such as young talent or first-round draft picks.

Per MacMahon, the Rockets believe that Westbrook could improve his trade value with a healthy start to the 2020-21 season. In that scenario, the 32-year-old would presumably post better results than he did after suffering a quad injury just before the 2020 playoffs.

Training camps for the 2020-21 league year are set to open on Tuesday, Dec. 1. As of Tuesday night, it sounds as if one or both of Houston’s former MVPs could still be reporting to Toyota Center once camp begins.

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