The Houston Rockets would seemingly prefer to keep Russell Westbrook and James Harden and try to contend for a title next season, but superstars tend to get their way in the NBA when they decide they want a change of scenery. The Rockets understand that.
Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle said on “The Sheridan Show” podcast with Chris Sheridan this week that the Rockets have accepted they need to trade Westbrook.
“I know for a fact that the Rockets believe that they have to trade Russell Westbrook. The issue is going to be, are they able to?” Smith said, as transcribed by Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire. “Is there a way to calm the situation down? Do they try to trade him, and they have to end up backing off?”
While Smith believes Houston knows keeping Westbrook could result in some awkwardness, he does not consider a trade to be a foregone conclusion.
“Honestly, I won’t be surprised if he gets traded in the next 48 hours. And I won’t be surprised if they go through the draft and free agency, and they try to make it work once training camp starts, and they get everybody in the same building,” Smith added. “It’s a very, very odd situation.”
One of the main issues in any potential trade involving Westbrook or Harden is compensation. Both players are under contract for two more seasons and owed more than $130 million. That gives them less leverage to force a trade, though it may make them more appealing to rivals and impact what teams are willing to give up.
The market for Westbrook does not seem to be all that hot. We know of one team that would seem to make sense as a potential landing spot, but the offer has to be right. If Houston can’t get a haul in return for Westbrook and/or Harden, there is no rush to resolve the situation due to the contract situations of the two superstars.
