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Houston Rockets: Reflecting back on the Russell Westbrook-Chris Paul trade

By James Mueller

HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 28: Chris Paul #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks to pass as Chris Paul #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder defends at Toyota Center on October 28, 2019 in Houston, Texas.NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 28: Chris Paul #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks to pass as Chris Paul #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder defends at Toyota Center on October 28, 2019 in Houston, Texas.NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
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Houston Rockets, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook
Houston Rockets, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

With the 2020 NBA season in the books, let’s look back at the blockbuster deal that swapped Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook for the Houston Rockets.

Entering the 2019-2020 season, the Houston Rockets and the OKC Thunder made one of the biggest blockbuster trades of the offseason when OKC sent Russell Westbrook to Houston in exchange for Chris Paul and a multitude of future draft picks and draft swaps.

This trade signified that the two teams were taking completely different approaches to the 2019-2020 season. For the Rockets, bringing in Westbrook and reuniting him with his former teammate James Harden signified that they were going all-in on bringing a championship to Houston. On the other hand, the Thunder trading away Westbrook, shortly after they had traded Paul George to the Clippers, meant that they were building for the future.

Despite the two different approaches the teams took entering the season, Houston and OKC finished with identical records, both going 44-28, which led to an epic seven-game showdown between the two teams in the first round of the playoffs that ultimately saw the Rockets prevail.

Despite getting past the Thunder, the Rockets fell to the Lakers, who went on to win the NBA title, in five games which marked another disappointing playoff exit during the Harden era in Houston.

So in the end, both teams’ seasons ended with an early playoff exit but the outlook on OKC’s 2019-2020 performance is much more positive than the outlook on Houston’s performance.

Knowing how the season went, let’s look at who got the better end of the Westbrook-CP3 trade.

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