NBA: Biggest winners and losers of 2019 offseason

Winner: Houston Rockets

Had this article been written a few weeks ago, the Houston Rockets would have landed on this list as losers.

Making zero notable moves up until recently, it felt like the Rockets were going to be forced into running it back with the squad that had come so bitterly close to beating the Golden State Warriors in back-to-back years.

Of course, this all changed when news broke that Houston had traded Chris Paul to OKC in return for Russell Westbrook. This move reunites James Harden and Westbrook, creating one of the most interesting duo’s we have ever seen.

Never before has the NBA seen two iso-heavy players team up like this on a team looking to win a championship. Harden took iso-ball to a new level last year, averaging 16.4 isolations per game. This is by far the highest of any player since the NBA began tracking the stat in 2015.

As for Westbrook, he has been top three in this category twice in the last three seasons.

Luckily, the isolations have worked pretty well for these two. Harden averaged 36.1 points per game last year while Westbrook has averaged a triple-double in three consecutive seasons.

It will take some adjustments for the Rockets to make this dynamic work, but if they manage to stagger Harden and Westbrook, this could be one hell of an offensive attack.

Loser: Oklahoma City Thunder

On the other side of this trade is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who officially face the end of an era. It is painful to know that this franchise once had Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook all on their roster, but with nothing to show for it.

Though Paul George wasn’t a member of the original big three, his trade to the Los Angeles Clippers served as the catalyst for the final decision to trade Westbrook and end this era. Without George, the Thunder had little chance of competing for a championship.

Consequently, the front office decided it was time to go all-in on a rebuild.

OKC didn’t walk away empty-handed this Summer. A plethora of future draft picks and a promising young point guard in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander certainly feels good.

However, at the end of the day, losing PG13 and Westbrook is a critical blow that will have this franchise undergoing a longterm rebuild.