The Rockets and Wizards have engaged in a blockbuster trade that sends Russell Westbrook to Washington in return for John Wall and a first round pick.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski — the first to report the trade — later added that the deal was worked out over the course of a few hours Wednesday by Washington and Houston GMs Tommy Sheppard and Rafael Stone, respectively. The two hadn't discussed the deal in weeks.
The two GM's -- Washington's Tommy Sheppard and Houston's Rafael Stone -- hadn't talked in weeks on the deal, but connected this afternoon and had a deal done within a few hours, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/qmuPclNoU5
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 3, 2020
Shams Charania of The Athletic corroborated Wojnarowski's report, clarifying that Houston would also receive a protected first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Source confirms: Houston traded Russell Westbrook to the Wizards for John Wall and a 2023 protected first-round pick.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 3, 2020
MORE: When does the NBA season start in 2020-21?
Houston confirmed the deal on Twitter:
OFFICIAL: The Houston Rockets have acquired John Wall and a future first round pick from Washington in exchange for Russell Westbrook.
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) December 3, 2020
Full Story: https://t.co/YApgYlopzJ pic.twitter.com/XTRprcdV6p
Westbrook will finish the final three years of his five-year, $206.7 million deal with the Wizards. He is owed an average of $41.4 per over the next three seasons before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2023-24; he also has a player option in 2022-23. He reportedly wanted out of Houston due to issues he had with the organization's culture, per Charania and Kelly Iko. He averaged 22.7 points, 7.0 assists and 7.9 rebounds per game in the abbreviated 2019-20 season, an All-Star campaign that saw him and James Harden lead the Rockets to the playoffs.
Wall, in the second year of his four-year, $171.1 million deal, is owed an average of $48.2 million per year over the next two seasons. Like Westbrook, he is an unrestricted free agent in 2023-24, with a player option the season prior. He missed the 2019-20 season while recovering from a ruptured tendon.
