Rockets open to trading John Wall for Russell Westbrook, draft compensation?

Russell Westbrook’s trade market is lukewarm at the absolute best, but all it takes is one team to show interest. Now that one team could be emerging.

Veteran NBA writer Marc Stein said this week in a post to his Substack that the Houston Rockets could possibly have interest in trading for Westbrook. Stein adds that the Rockets would not be interested in Westbrook actually playing for them. But they would reportedly entertain the idea of acquiring Westbrook in exchange for fellow guard John Wall, given that the Lakers incentivize it with sufficient draft compensation.

The former MVP Westbrook played for the Rockets in 2019-20 before they traded him to Washington for, incidentally, Wall. But Westbrook’s former Houston co-star, James Harden, is no longer with the team, nor is his old coach, Mike D’Antoni. There were also certain indications that Westbrook did not see eye-to-eye with Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta.

Stein’s report makes it sound like Houston simply wants to dump Wall’s contract and gain some draft capital in the process. Overall, a Westbrook trade is seen as unlikely for one big reason. But the Rockets are just about the only destination where a Westbrook trade might actually make sense.