If Wall cannot be counted on to improve team and increase winning in THIS postseason then why trade for his ridiculous contract? If you trade away your other superstar just for picks, then that is the definition of rebuilding. Harden will bolt and he would be right to do so. Throwing away even 1 year of Harden is wasteful.
If Rockets are not trading Russ, then they need to get more serious about adding a few more bigs taller than 6'7. 6'9 Jonah Bolden 6'8 Devin Robinson 6'10 Ray Spalding Rockets have too many 6'5+/- wings. Perhaps a backup PG taller than 5'8 as well. Sign 6'4 Shaq Harrison for the love of Patrick!
Actually we just add reggie Jackson or I thomas and Kenneth Faried, the team will become perfect. I think better not to trade westbrooks and let him play for one more year. We have big 3 finally. The teams look like the champion team of Miami and Raptors, it really have chances to beat Lakers especially Cousins is the old cousins.
if westbrook is a superstar... then why are no teams willing to give up anything for him? even trying to get decent complementary players back in a trade for russ is a pipedream right now. only the wizards can offer anything of compensation bc wall's contract is just as bad.. and if wall is somewhat healthy... he's a much better fit than russ... and wall is pretty close with harden as well. harden alone makes the rockets a top 6 seed in the west. but if we have russ in a significant role, that team is going nowhere come playoff time. it's all about trying to win a championship, is it not? harden knows his game doesn't fit with russ now and i would be willing to bet he wouldn't mind having russ traded if it means it allows the rockets to find other ways to improve the team (by acquiring picks to follow up with another trade). harden was never offended about russ trade rumors... he was offended that dantoni and morey were let go and that he had no say in the appointment of the team's next coach. i feel like i'm a broken record now but those draft picks that they can potentially acquire from the wizards aren't just "let's dump russ and acquire picks for the future". it's the fact that they can use those picks to trade for a high impact player who can help harden THIS season. as of now, if u trade either russ or eg... no team is going to take on either player without rockets giving up draft compensation... and rockets have no picks that really move the needle (highly protected detroit first rder, late first from portland). they need more draft picks to make a move for someone who can potentially be a second option to harden THIS season. it's not a rebuild... it's an admission that westbrook isn't championship caliber and that the rockets need to do something to fix that mistake and get someone who is championship quality. and for the last time... no team is gonna give up any decent player(s) for westbrook unless we're taking a similar trash contract (john wall). and we're also better off without russ and harden knows that too. we're a 4th seed at best with harden alone... and we're a 4th seed at best with harden+russ. that equation needs to change.. and rockets need to acquire draft picks to trade so that they can improve on that seeding this season bc harden's window is basically two years. staying status quo with russ isn't gonna improve the chances of winning a championship in that window.
Just wait until the regular season, his value can't get much worse than it is right now. Wait until another all star becomes unhinged and boom, trade piece. Yes he has faults during the playoffs, but he's always been good in the regular season, upping his value that way may be the best play. Dream scenario, PG goes berserk and him and Kawhi can't figure things out, Russ, House and the two picks from Portland and Detroit (with all their protections) for PG and Bev. May be able to move Bev to Chicago for Sato too. I really don't like the hodge podge pieces around Harden again. He needs a superstar at this point, he deserves it. Russ just isn't the right one. Trading him for Porter Jnr and Aaron Gordon is bound to make Harden leave.
yea i have to agree with your reasoning here. this really would be the ideal scenario. maybe russ performs decently and some team that was supposed to contend for the playoffs has a nightmarish start and blows up the team by trade deadline. honestly, i was thinking paul george and the clips also lol... and like u said, trading russ for a collection of role players like otto porter jr without getting any first round picks in return would be a pr nightmare and send the opposite signal to harden. and i like otto porter as a role player (i'd even argue that it's impossible to trade russ for him bc as an expiring contract opj has tremendous value and bulls would want no part of russ's contract). harden deserves a legit second option next to him for the last few years of his prime. but if they go the route of trading russ before the season starts... at least with that potential john wall trade, u can get some draft picks to move along with eg+filler and get a player who can be a legit second option to harden. and even though the chance is very slim, maybe wall comes back from injury at 75% of what he was. it's still a better sell from a pr standpoint bc media/ppl still associate john wall as a star and rockets would be getting picks, rather than trading westbrook + first rounders for some journeymen roleplayers with bloated contracts.
The trades I wanted were to either NYC or Wash for the 8th or 9th pick. The Rox couldve had a steal at thst spot with either Avdija or Topin. Sometimes waiting to pull the trigger may cause you to miss the opportunity.
Would Warriors take on Westbrook for Wiggins and Looney? Warriors have to think a player like Russ as the potential allstar that could coexist with Curry. Wiggins is not a bad player to have around to pair with another star once Harden gets traded.
Luckily Stone is a lot better at being a GM than any of us. No matter how Russ plays barring a serious injury, his stock will most definitely not be lower than coming off that Lakers’ series. Unless he refuses to show up (which I won’t believe is the case until it happens), we will go into the season with him on board and have him increase his value.
Saw this in random trades from @ilias & added my thoughts to it. HOU in: Otto Porter, Aaron Gordon, Mo Bamba HOU out: Westbrook, Tucker & protected FRP CHI in: Westbrook CHI out: Porter, Young, protected FRP ORL in: Young, Tucker & 2 FRP Bulls & Rox ORL out: Gordon & Bamba HOU starters: Harden, EG, Porter, AG, Wood HOU bench: (Need a back up PG), Nwaba, McL, House, Cousins / Bamba remember the other team has to say yes, too. When we fell we gave to much we must be close to a deal.
Add a Bulls Sign & Trade for Shaq Harrison (4.5M for 3 years, 3rd year team option) to Rockets for TPE, SRP and Chris Clemons. And it's GOLD, Jerry!!!!
Harden could weaponize him, just like he did with Capela. But he is not priority now that Rockets have Wood. Bamba would be a luxury, focus should be on a 4 or a long 3.
K love, nance plus draft picks or Johnston. After this trade, the guard position will tweak a lot. If we get Wall. Wall styles look like cp3 which can.offer assist for the team. But it keeps one more year, the team also looks strong now.
yea that's gonna be an issue. but the fact that some ppl on this board actually like this trade really shows their knowledge of the game... houston giving up first rounders and pj tucker just to bring in opj and aaron gordon?? what is with ppl's obsession with aaron gordon anyways? if stone really wanted to, he could trade pj+ a first rd pick and get something even better... like wtf?
Put this is the other thread too. Would need to be at the deadline. Houston Out: Russ, Gordon, 1st round pick via Portland, 1st round pick via Detroit. Houston in: Derrick Rose, Delon Wright, Paul George. Clippers out: Paul George, Marcus Morris, Patrick Beverly, Atlanta 2022 2nd round pick, Portland 2023 2nd round pick. Detroit out: Derrick Rose, Delon Wright, Blake Griffin. Detroit in: Eric Gordon, Patrick Beverly, Marcus Morris, 1st round pick via Portland, 1st round pick via Detroit, Atlanta 2022 2nd round pick, Portland 2023 2nd round pick. Houston Starters: Rose. Harden. House. PG. Wood Houston bench: Wright, Boogie, Tucker, Nwaba, Green/Brown/Tate Clippers starters: Russ. Kennard. Kawhi. Blake. Serg. Clippers bench: Lou. Reggie. Zubac. Mann. ? Detroit starters: Hayes. Gordon. Sekou. Grant. Plumlee. Detroit bench: PatBev. Bey. Morris. Stewart...
Change in Team Outlook: 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg, and 0.0 apg. Incoming Players Goran Dragic 34 year old, 6-3, 190 lb G from Union Olimpija (Slovenia) No games yet played in 2020-2021 Kelly Olynyk 29 year old, 7-0, 240 lb C from Gonzaga No games yet played in 2020-2021 Avery Bradley 30 year old, 6-2, 180 lb PG from Texas No games yet played in 2020-2021 Outgoing Players Russell Westbrook 32 year old, 6-3, 200 lb G from UCLA No games yet played in 2020-2021
People have to stop with the Russ for PG stuff. PG is the ONLY reason the Clipps want Russ. It's been reported time and again. If PG isn't on the clippers they wouldn't touch Russ with a ten foot pole. Just give it up already.
