After the Thunder traded Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers, Harden pushed for the Rockets to trade for Westbrook, his former teammate in Oklahoma City. In exchange for Westbrook, the Thunder received Chris Paul, two future first-round picks and the rights to swap two other future first-round picks. The immediate sense was that the Thunder were engaging in a rebuild — so many picks! In a twist, the Rockets won with their defense. “He’s been locked in, and I think he knows that for us to win at a good clip, the defense has to be there.”

Source: New York Times September 04, 2020 00:56 UTC