The Rockets move in a sea of uncertainty. This is what can be said after the last dates, of continuous changes for a franchise that has been a constant aspirant in the last decade but he has run into the limitations of his own system and has not even been able to access the Finals. El Houston wants but can’t It has almost been a tradition in Texas, a pioneering state in a way of understanding basketball that the Warriors developed and maximized Daryl Morey and Mike D’Antoni. The manager has now set course for the Eastern Conference, with some Sixers in need of their mathematics and a reconstruction that guides The process and take it to heights that at first it was expected it could reach; the second, he will be an assistant to a Steve Nash whom he once managed in a team, the Nets, in which it still seems that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant rule more than anyone else. Despite, yes, that one has played less than nothing and the other, literally, nothing. It’s what the era of empowered players has … and all that goes with it.
After the elimination against the Lakers, the Rockets move on busy days and with little room for maneuver. On the 20th the market opens and it does not seem that Texans are protagonists. However, certain sectors do not seem convinced that Westbrook and Harden are entirely happy with the signing of the new coach, an unknown Stephen Silas and signed by a Tilman Fertitta who does not seem to want to let the project escape. According to the boss, visible face of the franchise after the departure of Morey, Houston wants to continue being a candidate, but we must review what to do and how to do it in the coming months. The goal may be to keep the block and two of the most charismatic players in the competition. On the other hand, the departure of one of them could be an opportunity to surround Harden with a new squad that fights for a championship as elusive as it does not exist. And there comes Werstbrook, Newcomer, a point guard who landed in Houston to join his friend Harden in a trade that many deemed inappropriate after seeing the extraordinary level at which Chris Paul has moved in the Thunder.
Kevin O’Conor, journalist for The Ringer, has suggested the possibility of the point guard being traded in relation to the huge contract he holds (41 million dollars for the 2020-21 season). And, for him, there are options that you can place him outside of Houston. The Knicks have sounded like possible candidates for a trade, but the most important name that has been included in the possible negotiations has been that of the Clippers, who are looking for a distributor that they have not had and give the project a turnaround to become, no longer Doc Rivers (also in the Sixers) and with Tyronn Lue, in aspirants. There would enter a Westbrook for which they will have to give a lot and that has averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7 assists in his first season in the Rockets despite his slump, motivated by having to share the ball more with another superstar like Harden. However, O’Connor sees the signing possible if the Clippers offer enough.
Now, it seems difficult that Westbrook can carry out this movement. With more than 132 million committed until 2023, when he will be 33 years old, It seems difficult that a team like the Clippers can take such risks with him, especially considering that Kawhi Leonard has pending almost 70 million in the next two years and Paul George moves in similar figures. The possible signing of Westbrook could free the Angelenos from going for a Rajon Rondo that has already sounded in their orbit and getting a first level player, who has been All Star in eight seasons and MVP in the 2017-18 basketball season. One way or another, you’ll have to wait for the transfer market to find out what intentions the Clippers have in free agency. And if the numbers add up, of course. That always.
