NBA Twitter was thrown into a tizzy yesterday as it was revealed that Russell Westbrook wants out of Houston. Westbrook and James Harden seemingly had good chemistry on the Rockets this season but in the end, it simply wasn't enough to result in any sort of playoff success. Not to mention, with a new General Manager and head coach, it's clear the Rockets are going to be a much different team, moving forward.
Today on ESPN, Kendrick Perkins made the claim that Westbrook wants out of Houston because James Harden is looking to be traded, and Russ doesn't want to be left in the dust. As Perkins asserts, he is hearing rumors that Harden could be sent to Brooklyn Nets or the Philadelphia 76ers, which ultimately made Westbrook request a trade.
Per Perkins:
"My understanding from a reliable source [is] that James Harden hasn’t been talking with the organization for the last two weeks, hasn’t been taking anybody’s phone calls. Same with Russell Westbrook, no communication there except for last night when he told them he wanted to be out.
Now here’s the thing. Russell Westbrook is a guy that never jumps the gun like this. This is not Russell Westbrook, he always stays private, he never comes out public and requests a trade in the manner he did last night. So that goes to show me, the sources that are telling me James Harden could possibly be joining the Brooklyn Nets with [Kevin Durant] and Kyrie Irving or going to the Philadelphia 76ers, has some truth behind it."
Harden to the Sixers is a rumor that has been circulating for some time especially given the fact that Daryl Morey is now running the show in Philadelphia. The Nets, however, are a huge stretch especially since they already have two max players in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
Either way, it's clear that the upcoming NBA offseason is about to be one to remember.
