NBA Trade Rumors: Clippers and Rockets in Trade Talks For Paul George and Russell Westbrook

The rumor mill never stops in the NBA off-season. This time renowned NBA insider Scoop B reports a blockbuster trade between the Clippers and the Rockets. According to the latest reports by Scoop B, the Clippers are looking to trade Paul George for Rockets’ want away stars Russell Westbrook and Robert Covington and a 2023 1st round pick.

Both the Rockets and LA Clippers had disappointing playoff runs in the 2019-20 season. The Lakers easily beat the Rockets in a 4-1 series win. Clippers on the other hand lost in 7 game series to a young Denver side featuring Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.

Clippers are clearly looking to win now and want to assert themselves as the favorites in the West. The Rockets are in a much worse condition now, as multiple stars of their roster want a trade. They will hope that a trade for George can convince their star man Harden to stay.

Russell Westbrook and Paul George: Two Sides of the same coin

Russell Westbrook and Paul George both left the OKC Thunder in the summer of 2019 to join the Rockets and Clippers, respectively. The lack of playoff success had frustrated both the stars, and it looked like they were taking a step in the right direction.

A year later, nothing much has changed. Rather, this playoff season has damaged both the stars’ reputation massively. Both the players were considered as the weak link in their respective franchise.

George who came to the Clippers in a blockbuster deal had a disappointing season by his standards. The 6-time all-star’s production on the court had plummeted. George, who averaged 28 points in the 2018-19 season with OKC, averaged only 21.5 points in the 2019-20 season with the Clippers. There was a dip in the number of rebounds and assists too. The performance was not at all encouraging. George was too inconsistent and who can forget his dismal performances in the Denver series.

Westbrook similar to George struggled in his new team. Westbrook’s role became more of scorer because of Harden controlling the play. This resulted in a decrease of assists per match from 10.4 for the 2018-19 season, to 7.0 for the 2019-20 season. Brodie also failed to make an impact in the playoffs, averaging only 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Westbrook missed his shooting boots in the playoffs and the Rockets lost.

This trade can be a win-win for both the parties, and both the players can earn their lost reputation. The Clippers lacked a point guard last season and had to use Kawhi Leonard extensively. With Westbrook, Clippers will have a dedicated point guard and the addition of Robert Covington can act as a perimeter threat and a defender too.

With the trade of George, the Rockets management can convince their star player Harden to stay. The Rockets will get arguably one of the best two-way players in George. In his day, Paul George can be unstoppable. And he surely would want to remove the infamous tag of Way-Off P.