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NBA trade grades: Rockets and Wizards swap Russell Westbrook and John Wall

By Duncan Smith

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 02: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoots over John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards during the second half at Capital One Arena on November 2, 2018 in Washington, DC. 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 Will Newton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 02: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder shoots over John Wall #2 of the Washington Wizards during the second half at Capital One Arena on November 2, 2018 in Washington, DC. 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 Will Newton/Getty Images) /
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Houston Rockets
NBA Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

NBA trade grades for the Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets swapped a contract that pays $41.358 million this season for a contract that pays $41.255 million. That might not seem like much in the NBA, but it saves owner Tilman Fertitta $103,000, and that’s not nothing.

On the floor, the Rockets are going to add an unknown element in the form of John Wall. He hasn’t played NBA basketball in over two years, and coming off his injuries it’s unlikely he’ll be able to regain the peak form he once had.

He’s not an ideal backcourt partner for James Harden, as much like Russell Westbrook, he simply doesn’t provide shooting or spacing. Wall is a career 32.4 percent 3-point shooter, and he’s not active off the ball either.

Westbrook couldn’t shoot, but he was an athletic wrecking ball driving to the rim, and it’s unlikely that Wall is going to be able to come anywhere close to replicating his offensive impact.

Wall is a better defender than Westbrook, or at least he was before his injuries. We’ll see if the ability or desire to be an elite stopper is still there, but if it is, this trade does have a bit more upside.

The Rockets do get a protected first-round pick out of the deal, and that’s an improvement on the incentivization that they were expected to have to do on basically any deal that wasn’t for Wall specifically. Getting draft assets rather than giving is a nice bonus in a deal for Russell Westbrook.

However, this deal definitely doesn’t make them better on the floor, and with three years left on Westbrook’s deal, it’s hard to see why the Rockets really felt the need to make this move. They had plenty of time to win his heart back, and other than just no-showing, Westbrook didn’t really have much leverage. If the Rockets simply had to make a deal, and had to make it right now, this is the deal to make.

But that’s almost certainly not the case, which makes this an odd decision for a front office that has quietly had a nice offseason.

Grade: C-

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