Former NBA Champion Urges Rockets To Trade Both Russell Westbrook and James Harden

On Wednesday, fans found out about the Houston Rockets franchise crumbling. The Athletic reported that many players were unhappy, and the biggest shocker was Russell Westbrook asking for a trade. But surprisingly, James Harden wants to stay.

Later, on ESPN’s First Take, former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins and Max Kellerman were discussing what the Rockets should do. Kellerman said that they have to keep Harden while Perkins disagreed and said they should blow it up. Perkins also added that they need to trade both, because keeping just Harden will not help them contend.

So, what can the Rockets do?

Keep James Harden, let Russell Westbrook leave

Making a player stay beyond his wishes will affect the performances of both the player and the team. Westbrook wants to be the primary ball-handler, like he was at OKC, and he is being deprived of that at Houston. So if they can trade him to a team like the Hornets or the Knicks, they can get some picks in return.

They could also go for a three-team trade, where Westbrook goes to a team with cap space, the Pelicans get the picks from team A and the Rockets get Jrue Holiday.

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Blow it up completely!

As Perkins said, trying to contend without Westbrook will get tougher, because the chance of getting an equal caliber player in return is almost impossible. So that won’t help them stay contenders, and it will just waste Harden’s prime years. So they can try to trade away both for valuable future assets.

They will not get the exact value they might seek. But with both Harden and Westbrook about to make over $40 million each, they are better off trading them while they still hold value.

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Convince both James Harden and Russell Westbrook to stay

This might be the least favorable option for them, but it could work out. New coach Stephen Silas already had plans for his duo before Russ said he wanted to leave. D’Antoni’s system was one of the major factors that held back the Rockets from progressing, and a better-organized system under Silas could lead them to improved results.

It will still be a gamble, but it is probably their best chance to contend right now.