The long-rumored trade between the Houston Rockets and the Washington Wizards that featured a pair of high-profile point guards has finally happened. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Russell Westbrook is headed to D.C. in a trade that will see John Wall go to the Lone Star State. In terms of added compensation to make the move happen, the Wizards attached a future first-round pick.
Houston has agreed to trade Russell Westbrook to Washington for John Wall and a first-round pick, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 3, 2020
Shams Charania of The Athletic confirmed the trade, noting that the first is a protected selection in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Source confirms: Houston traded Russell Westbrook to the Wizards for John Wall and a 2023 protected first-round pick.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 3, 2020
Rumors had been swirling for some time that Westbrook wanted out of Houston, with word leaking that he wanted a deal shortly after a story went public about him and James Harden having concerns about directions of the franchise. Wall came into this soon after, with his contract being such that he could be flipped for Westbrook. Following word of talks about this sort of move hitting the internet, word then came out that Wall wanted out of the nation’s capital.
It’s a fascinating trade of two highly-paid athletes with questions about what they can do in the NBA in 2020 — Westbrook struggled until the Rockets embraced microball and then struggled in the NBA’s Orlando Bubble following a bout with COVID-19, while Wall has been dealing with injuries for years and has not appeared in a game since late 2018. Now, the pair are getting moved for one another, and in the aftermath, all eyes will turn to their star running mates — Harden in Houston and Bradley Beal in Washington — about what the future holds for them.
