Tue, Jul 16, 2019 at 9:07pm

ROCKETS REEL IN RUSSELL WESTBROOK!

The Houston Rockets acquired guard Russell Westbrook from the Oklahoma City Thunder for guard Chris Paul, a protected first-round draft pick in 2024, a protected first-round draft pick in 2026, the right to swap first-round draft picks in 2021 and the right to swap first-round draft picks in 2025.

What does it give the Houston Rockets
In Westbrook, the Rockets land one of the best all-around guards to ever play in the NBA. The 11-year veteran is younger than Paul (Westbrook turns 31 in November) but is still hungry to win his first NBA title. He will reunite with James Harden in Houston, as the guard duo was dominant for three years together in Oklahoma City from 2009-10 to 2011-12. With Westbrook now on board, the Rockets have vaulted to championship contender status (along with several other teams in a wide open NBA) at this time. This was a tremendous trade for Houston, as the team upgraded the point guard position without surrendering anything else from the current roster.

What does it give the Oklahoma City Thunder
Oh, Oklahoma City. How do the small-market Thunder recover from losing their two latest superstars (first Paul George to the LA Clippers and now Westbrook) in one off-season? Clearly, OKC felt unable to compete for an NBA championship with Westbrook and George leading the way, so it is now time to strip it down and start over again. Paul, a 34-year-old veteran guard may be charged with mentoring the youth on the Thunder. However, if OKC GM Sam Presti could find a way to unload Paul's bloated contract ($39.9 million through 2021-22), he likely will. The four future assets will not come into play for a few years, at least.

Fantasy impact
Westbrook may differ a lot more to Harden in Houston now that the duo is back together, so No. 0's fantasy stock could suffer a little bit after this trade. Had Westbrook remained in OKC without George, he might have become arguably the top fantasy player in the league for 2019-20. Instead, he will be a top-10 fantasy pick (which is not too shabby). As for Paul, his value may actually increase as he moves to a young team without a main scoring threat. That said, expect Paul to be traded once again at some point in '19-20, so he comes with a lot of fantasy risk.