Westbrook leaves, Wall arrives, what about Harden?
Li Xiang
John Wall (#2) of the Washington Wizards joins James Harden (#13) in Houston after being traded for Russell Westbrook (#0). /CFP

John Wall (#2) of the Washington Wizards joins James Harden (#13) in Houston after being traded for Russell Westbrook (#0). /CFP

When both James Harden and Russell Westbrook reportedly requested the Houston Rockets to trade them, the team seemed a mess. Houston, which hasn't missed the playoffs in the last eight seasons, came seemingly close to rebuilding.

Fortunately for the team, their new general manager, Rafael Stone, avoided making a knee-jerk decision that could cost the franchise down the road. Instead, he continued Houston's calculated approach and added David Nwaba, Sterling Brown, DeMarcus Cousins and, most importantly, Christian Wood to the Houston squad.

Sure, he had to watch Austin Rivers and Robert Covington leave, but he did not really have much of a choice. Harden and Westbrook together would bite over $82 million out of Houston's payroll, and the team's owner, Tilman Fertitta, hates paying the luxury tax. In fact, Stone deserves a medal for his work.

Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets looks on in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers at AdventHealth Arena in Orlando, Florida, September 12, 2020. /CFP

Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets looks on in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers at AdventHealth Arena in Orlando, Florida, September 12, 2020. /CFP

Then the Westbrook-Wall trade happened. Two of the league's six contracts over $40 million were exchanged for each other. Though the Washington Wizards added a first-round pick in the package, it is so well protected that Houston may have to watch it become two second rounders in the summer of 2027.

Though there were reports about Westbrook being determined to leave, the safer route for Houston was to keep him for at least one or two months to allow his market value to rebound from the bottom. Westbrook's 19.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in the series against the Los Angeles Lakers last season didn't help his trade value. Assuming he would drop better numbers at the beginning of next season, Houston looked to hold out for more bargaining leverage.

However, when Westbrook did not report to Houston's training camp, he seemed to be sending a message: he did not want to stay on the team any longer, not even a month.

John Wall of the Washington Wizards drives with the ball in the game against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, December 19, 2018. /CFP

John Wall of the Washington Wizards drives with the ball in the game against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, December 19, 2018. /CFP

The other four $40 million+ contracts belong to Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Harden and Chris Paul, which made Wall the only viable trade for Westbrook.

So, is Wall better than Westbrook?

Wall was a better orchestrator when he was still playing, which was almost two years ago, and he is recovering from an Achilles injury sustained in February 2019. Nonetheless, the Rockets already have Harden to handle the playmaking responsibilities. Moreover, neither Westbrook nor Wall is a reliable catch-shooter or off-ball player, but at least Westbrook is willing to move without the ball in his hands. By contrast, when Wall is not in possession of the ball, he usually just stands there watching his teammates work, similar to Harden last season.

Perhaps Houston bet on the fact that Wall is two years younger than Westbrook and he was teammates with Cousins at the University of Kentucky. Maybe the two still have some chemistry left, but Cousins only played 78 games in the last three seasons, to be clear.

Christian Wood of the Detroit Pistons shoots the ball in the game against the Utah Jazz at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, March 7, 2020. /CFP

Christian Wood of the Detroit Pistons shoots the ball in the game against the Utah Jazz at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, March 7, 2020. /CFP

Since the deal has already been made, Houston must look on the bright side. They've moved on from the small-ball concept because without a true big man, they were as vulnerable as a rabbit in a laboratory. They needed someone to grab rebounds, protect the rim, guard the paint and set screens for perimeter players.

Wood is a good choice. He was added to the starting lineup after the Detroit Pistons sent Andre Drummond to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the following eight games, Wood averaged 20.4 points and 10.3 rebounds while shooting 53.7 percent from the floor. More importantly, he shot 38.3 percent from beyond the arc last season. Houston found that Jeff Green was the best big-man partner they could find for Harden in the playoffs last season. A taller Wood with better finishing ability under the rim should do the trick, if not better.

Houston's new head coach, Stephen Silas, deserves some attention as well. He is a rookie in his position but he performed well as an offensive assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks. With his help, Luka Doncic, who plays so much like Harden in many ways, led Dallas to become statistically the best offensive team in NBA history. There are reasons to believe that Silas can reproduce his mojo with Harden.

James Harden (#13) of the Houston Rockets reacts after making a shot in Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference first-round playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at The Field House in Orlando, Florida, August 22, 2020. /CFP

James Harden (#13) of the Houston Rockets reacts after making a shot in Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference first-round playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at The Field House in Orlando, Florida, August 22, 2020. /CFP

That of course must be built on the premise that Harden still wants to play for Houston. After seven years on the team, he has already achieved almost everything he could as an individual player – playoff qualification (eight times in a row), All-Star (eight times in a row, again), All-NBA First Team (six times), assist leader, scoring title (three times), MVP.

However, Harden has never led Houston to the NBA Finals. He's been questioned for years about his playoff performances. Meanwhile, multiple big names have landed in Houston – Dwight Howard, Paul, Westbrook – and they all left.

Does that mean Harden is not a good teammate? His sluggish steps off the ball, his sloppy defense and his negative body language when games do not go his way should not come from a true leader. He was rarely heard when the Rockets were in trouble.

James Harden sits on the floor in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers at AdventHealth Arena, September 12, 2020. /CFP

James Harden sits on the floor in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers at AdventHealth Arena, September 12, 2020. /CFP

Nonetheless, even haters cannot deny the fact that Harden is Houston's biggest guarantee of offensive efficiency, and has been one of the league's top three offensive players for years. Only LeBron James, Steph Curry and last year's version of Lillard may compete with him. And don't forget, Harden doesn't have the luxury of a stacked roster.

Harden still has three years left on his deal with Houston and he is 31 years old. He can choose to opt out of the last year of his deal in summer 2022 to become an unrestricted free agent. Houston is running out of time to convince him to stay.