NBA Insider Believes There’s a 50-50 Chance for a Russell Westbrook-John Wall Swap Deal

It has been almost two weeks since Russell Westbrook put in a trade request. But so far, the Houston Rockets have been unable to find a deal. There were rumors about them swapping Westbrook for John Wall, but that was never finalized. After hearing those rumors, Wall also sent in an official trade request.

With both teams unable to find other suitors, will they try to find a deal again? According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, there is still a “50-50 chance” that this will happen.

“I’d give it a 50-50 chance,” Iko said. “With the state of uncertainty surrounding the Rockets’ two best players, you really can’t rule anything out. Wall for Westbrook would be a pretty clean swap cap-wise, and James Harden and Wall have a good relationship. But basketball-wise, does it make that much more sense than a Westbrook-Harden pairing? Wall might be a smoother, more natural playmaker than the aggressive Westbrook, but he isn’t that much more of a threat from the perimeter.”

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Will Russell Westbrook begin his season at Washington?

The Rockets are eager to start a new chapter since both Westbrook and James Harden are seeking to leave. But they value Westbrook more than Wall and are adamant to complete the deal only if there are draft picks coming their way.

“I think the deal becomes much more likely if the Rockets receive the sort of draft compensation they’re looking for, recouping some of what they lost in the Chris Paul trade,” Iko said.

The Rockets traded for Westbrook just one season ago and gave up four picks to get the deal done. So now they are desperate to reduce that deficit and prepare for the future without their stars.

Iko had also mentioned that the other teams who were earlier interested in Westbrook are either not interested anymore or don’t have the financial capacity to bring in the $43 million contract player. The teams have time to execute the trade, but they will be eager to let go of players who don’t want to stay.

Should the deal materialize, it could bring about a new era in Washington after the decade that Wall spent there. It will be a fresh start for both him and Westbrook, and fans will be excited to see how they fit into new systems.

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