If the Rockets, or anybody ahead of them, had picked Leonard before the Spurs did, that #2 trade wouldn't look so good.
Weird that rockets acquiring CP3 is not on the list. Considering that deal brought the rockets a hamstring away from a championship.
I guess this is an r/unpopularopinion but I think the Hawks might “win” Luka/ Trae trade. Which is crazy since Luka is ahead of where Lebron was at a similar age. Trae just might be as good as Luka offensively and Cam Reddish definitely has the potential to be a top 50 player.
If you add in consideration the huge contract we gave CP3 afterward, which was almost certainly agreed on at the trade, it wasn't as great as it appeared.
If you consider that we were also able to flip CP3 for Westbrook, a younger, more athletic, and better player that vibes well with our cornerstone, I'd say it was a good deal.
clear anti rockets bias they throw us a couple of nuggets for identifying clint and beverley .... but then the big harden trade they say " THUNDER trade future mvp" I can understand no paul deal .. clippers got great value as did we. Thats a both teams win type of trade .... which this list seems to be talking about lopsided deals. A few extra rockets gems since 2010 include .. drafting Parsons and not paying him , asik for ariza swap , picking up smith and brewer off the waiver wire in the same year and both working out great that year.
We didn't just flip CP3 for Westbrook. We gave up 2 first round picks and 2 pick swaps. Read Clutch's article. We gave up A LOT to get rid of CP3's contract in exchange for another horrible contract with one year longer for a guy who's game is 90% athleticism.
That's fair, but I am happy we have Westbrook. The reality is that we were a hamstring away from having a very real chance to win the title (I think we would have), and if we didn't get Paul that offseason I don't really see how we would have gotten any better (talent wise) going forward. It's impossible to say for sure, but I feel confident with Harden and Westbrook we should be contenders for the next 3-4 years at least.
I am not as optimistic. I think Westbrook will very likely sharply decline within the next two years. Without a reliable jumper, he will be pretty much useless when his quickness fades.
