The Houston Rockets could break up James Harden and Russell Westbrook after just one season following the team's second-round exit at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers.
One NBA exec believes the Rockets will look to trade Westbrook before Harden for a few reasons.
Via Marc Berman of the New York Post:
“I can’t imagine they are keeping Harden and Russ together,’’ one NBA executive said. “Russ excels best as the best player on a team, and Harden needs outside shooters around him — not a ball-dominant guard. I think Russ will be the one traded.”
The Rockets traded Chris Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook, hoping that the former MVP would help the team at least get to the Western Conference Finals.
However, Houston lost to the Lakers at Walt Disney World in five games and Westbrook really struggled. He shot just 42.1 percent from the field and 24.2 percent from beyond the arc in eight games against the Thunder and Lakers in the 2020 playoffs.
Even though Rockets general manager Daryl Morey stepped down from his post, no one actually believes Houston is going to move on from Harden, who is undoubtedly one of the best scorers in NBA history.
It's going to be very interesting to see what the Rockets do this offseason. Whoever the new head coach is will certainly have an input on the Westbrook conundrum.
Russ is still a great player, but he can't shoot the ball and the Rockets need as many shooters as possible around Harden.
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