Russell Westbrook unlikely to be traded before training camp
The Houston Rockets are open to trading Russell Westbrook this offseason, but it does not sound like they have made any progress toward a potential deal.
NBA training camp is set to begin next week, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said this week that he would anticipate Westbrook still being with the Rockets at that time. Woj says Westbrook remaining with Houston through the start of the season is “probably a more likely scenario” than him being dealt in the next month.
.@wojespn says the Rockets have engaged in Russell Westbrook trade discussions, but not James Harden ones.
Says Houston getting both Harden and Westbrook back in training camp is more likely than Westbrook getting moved. pic.twitter.com/7XfewGMjgu
— Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) November 24, 2020
Westbrook and Harden reportedly both want out of Houston. Both players are under contract for two more seasons with options for a third, so they don’t have a ton of leverage. It seems like the Rockets are a lot more open to trading Westbrook than they are Harden, though that could change quickly.
The Rockets have are said to have considered one scenario where they swap Westbrook for another star player, but everything we have heard to this point seems more like rumor.
Houston seems intent on smoothing things over with Harden, so the preferred outcome is probably still to keep the two superstars. Even if they decide to trade one or both, the Rockets have no real motivation to rush.
