NBA Free Agency 2019: OKC Agrees To Trade Westbrook For Chris Paul, Future First Round Picks, And Swap Picks
Sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN that the OKC (Oklahoma City Thunder) has agreed to trade all-star point guard Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul, future first-round picks, and the right to swap picks in 2025 and 2021.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to trade Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul, first-round picks in 2024 and 2026, pick swaps in 2021 and 2025, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 12, 2019
The Oklahoma City Thunder has acquired a number of draft picks this offseason, which includes five first-round picks from the Los Angeles Clippers that they attained from the Paul George trade and one more pick from the Jerami Grant trade.
Oklahoma also received two pick swaps from the Paul George trade.
WOJ suggests that Russell was really looking forward to reuniting with James Harden, who was his former teammate in OKC.
Both Westbrook and Harden have gone to the NBA Finals back in 2012, but they lost the finals to the Miami Heat in just 5 games.
Harden then moved to Houston after that season.
WOJ also added that OKC can trade Chris Paul if he is not interested to play for the team.
Houston hoped to find third-team destination preferable to Chris Paul, but ultimately leaves it OKC to execute next step once Presti confers w/ CP3 agent Leon Rose. Miami remains possibility for Paul (3 years, $124M) — and OKC obviously has picks to incentivize deal, if needed.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 12, 2019
Westbrook, who is thirty-years-old, will be earning around $170 Million USD in 4 seasons.
Paul, who is thirty-four-years-old, will earn $124.1 Million USD in 3 seasons.