ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF
Russell Westbrook is now a member of the Washington Wizards.
The point guard, who played for the Houston Rockets last season, moved to the nation’s capital in exchange for fellow point guard John Wall. The Rockets announced the trade on Dec. 2.
OFFICIAL: The Houston Rockets have acquired John Wall and a future first round pick from Washington in exchange for Russell Westbrook.
Full Story: https://t.co/YApgYlopzJ pic.twitter.com/XTRprcdV6p
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) December 3, 2020
Westbrook: From top ten pick… to history-making trade
The Seattle SuperSonics drafted Westbrook fourth overall in the 2008 NBA Draft. Not long after, the team moved to Oklahoma City and became the franchise now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Westbrook spent 11 seasons with the team before departing for Houston. During his tenure with the Thunder, he was an eight time NBA All Star and the league MVP in 2017.
However, a trade with the Houston Rockets sent the point guard to the lonestar state in 2019 in exchange for point guard Chris Paul.
https://twitter.com/okcthunder/status/1149804677673996288?s=20
Westbrook spent one season with the Rockets, where he averaged 27.2 points per game and 7.9 rebounds.
Making the Trade
Kurt Helin of NBC Sports reports that Westbrook wanted out of Houston, so the franchise began looking at a potential trade.
However, though the NBA star refuses to explain why he wanted out. Rather than give such details, he chose to focus on the future, telling media that he was “happy about where [he’s] at.”
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the deal to trade Wall for Westbrook came together in a matter of hours.
The combined contracts of both Westbrook and Wall are more than $378 million, which makes the trade the richest in NBA history.
Westbrook on his new franchise
Though he didn’t want to disclose his reasons for seeking a trade, he was happy to talk about his new team. Despite only recently becoming a Wizard, he already likes what he’s seen of their culture.
And while he knows he’s been brought in to make a difference on the court, he also recognizes the opportunity to impact the local community, too.
Sound Credit ABCNewscall
