The trade request by Russell Westbrook from the Houston Rockets has led to a breakdown about everything that has gone wrong with the team recently.
On Wednesday, we learned that Westbrook wants to be traded by the Rockets. There are numerous reasons why he wants a trade, and the reasons given are the team’s accountability issues and their offense.
Beyond Westbrook’s issues with the team, there were other problems engulfing the Western Conference contender last season.
The Athletic’s Kelly Iko, Sam Amick and Shams Charania combined on an article that discusses some of the problems the team faced.
According to the article, P.J. Tucker was “irate” about his contract situation. Tucker is entering the final year of a four-year, $31.8 million deal. He reportedly felt he was due a raise and was frustrated over how long it took to get his contract renewed for next season.
In addition to points of frustration for Westbrook and Tucker, the story says that Danuel House, Eric Gordon, and Austin Rivers all were frustrated about their playing time at points during the season. House reportedly wasn’t happy with his usage and challenged Mike D’Antoni, James Harden and Westbrook at times. House also was infamously sent home from the bubble, you might recall.
The Athletic’s entire story is worth a read.
So what happens from here? The Rockets will continue to be Harden’s team, while they might look to trade Westbrook. New coach Stephen Silas will be tasked with winning and trying to make everyone happy.
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