By Adam Neiberg and Zachary Smith

The Houston Rockets and the Washington Wizards have made their first big move of free agency and it might not be the last for Houston. On December 2, Russell Westbrook was traded to the Washington Wizards for John Wall and a 2023 protected first-round draft pick.

THE WASHINGTON WIZARDS

PROS:

The Wizards appear as though they are the winners of this trade. Before tearing his Achilles, John Wall was not as good as Westbrook. Post Achilles tear, the gap should be even bigger between the two of them. Coming off that devastating injury, the difference in their ability has become even larger. Westbrook is a former MVP and averaged a triple-double three years in a row. Westbrook averaged 27 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists per game, on career-high 47% shooting from the field just last year.

John Wall unfortunately has not played a game in almost two years and when he played, he averaged 20.7 points, 8.7 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game. 

In terms of the fit, Westbrook should slide in well alongside Bradley Beal. Westbrook is a player who loves to attack the rim. When the Rockets got rid of Clint Capela, Westbrook was just about unstoppable, he averaged 31 points, almost eight rebounds, and almost six assists per game. The Wizards were eighth in the league last season in three-point percentage. He will have the floor spacing to get to the rim on a consistent basis.

While Westbrook receives a lot of criticism for his playstyle, his last season in OKC, Paul George averaged a career-high in points per game playing alongside Westbrook. He will take the pressure off Beal and can get him a ton of spot-up shots. The Wizards were also ranked 28th in the league last year in rebounding and Westbrook is one of the best rebounders in the league. He will be a big upgrade attacking the boards. 

Washington should win around 44-46 games this season, but they will probably get eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. 

CONS:

Westbrook has not sustained the same caliber of injury that Wall has in his career. However, he has had to have surgery on his knees multiple times. For an athletic point guard, the decline in his ability to run or jump will have huge repercussions. If Westbrook shows major signs of decline in his ability, Beal may look to be traded as well.

Also, the same with Wall, they have massive contracts that they are stuck with for the next couple of years. Contenders are not going to trade for Wall or Westbrook. Westbrook still struggles from the three-point line and it doesn’t look like that flaw will ever be corrected.

THE HOUSTON ROCKETS

PROS:

The Rockets lost the trade with the Washington Wizards entirely.

Instead of trading Russell Westbrook for picks that could impact their future, they decided to stay on their current course and lose in the playoffs. The only aspect of this trade where they were able to gain value was by receiving a protected first-round pick from the Wizards in addition to John Wall. 

CONS:

The Houston Rockets have acquired John Wall and a first-round pick in exchange for Russell Westbrook, an absolute blockbuster trade! Or is it?

Big names swapping teams usually would have a major impact on the NBA, but in this case, it does not. The Houston Rockets mortgaged their future by sending Chris Paul, two future first-round picks, and the right to swap first-round picks so they could acquire Russell Westbrook from the Oklahoma City Thunder last offseason. 

The Rockets are not in a position to rebuild, so they are trying to win now except John Wall will just be more of the same. An extremely athletic player who struggles to shoot the ball from deep starting the back half of his injury-riddled career.

James Harden also doesn’t like the direction the Rockets are going and publicly announced he wants out of Houston, which means he doesn’t attract the same trade value since he doesn’t want to play for the Rockets anymore.

Overall, this trade just locked Houston in for more of the same on the court, and more dysfunction off of it. The Houston Rockets are between a rock and a hard place, for they have very few valuable first-round picks in the next three years, and their team is in no place to contend with massive contracts on aging players who don’t want to be there. It’s going to be interesting to see what the Rockets will do with James Harden and the rest of the roster over the next season or two, but one thing is for sure; the trade for John Wall is not the answer to their problems. 

It is hard to say how the Rockets will perform on the court this season due to what seems like the impending departure of James Harden. Assuming the roster stays as it is (which it probably won’t) and the addition of a new head coach, the Rockets should win around 45 games this season. That is a large step back from previous years, but with so many issues and a new head coach, they could have a lot of problems in a tough Western Conference. 

Adam and Zachary are sports writers for La Tonique Media.