In a summer where superstars across the NBA are calling the shots more than ever before, it looks like that may have been the case once again with the blockbuster trade that saw Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul swap teams.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Westbrook and James Harden began discussing the idea of playing together again as soon as Paul George decided he wanted out of Oklahoma City. Amick says those discussions are what provided the “spark” for the trade between the Thunder and Houston Rockets. The Rockets were also reportedly Westbrook’s No. 1 option when it became clear he was likely to be traded.
Westbrook and Harden were both part of the 2012 Thunder team that lost to LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. Harden was traded to Houston not long after that, but he apparently never had any significant issues with Westbrook.
Kawhi Leonard appears to have mapped out his own offseason perfectly, even pulling off a few diabolical moves along the way. However, he is not the only one who influenced the big moves across the NBA this summer. LeBron James clearly had a hand in the trade that brought Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers, and Westbrook and Harden may have helped nudge the Rockets and Thunder in a direction that suited them. Time will tell if it all works out.
