NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Russell Westbrook Trade, Marcus Morris and More
The 2019 edition of NBA free agency has been perhaps the wildest in recent memory. We've seen Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving pair together with the New York Knicks, watched the Los Angeles Lakers work a trade for Anthony Davis and witnessed as Kawhi Leonard orchestrated a Paul George partnership with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Things got even more interesting on Thursday night when the Oklahoma City Thunder traded former league MVP Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Thunder received a pair of first-round picks and point guard Chris Paul in the deal:
For the Rockets, the deal reunites Westbrook and James Harden, who were once part of their own Big Three with the Thunder. It also allows them to move on from Paul, whose relationship with Harden was described as "unsalvageable" by Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill.
The Thunder get something in return for a player who clearly no longer wanted to be there. The trade of George to the Clippers was apparently the last straw for Westbrook, though he may have actually wanted out before Oklahoma City committed to rebuilding mode.
"I heard that he wanted out and that PG just beat him to the punch and neither one of them knew that the other one was thinking that way," ESPN's Marc J. Spears said during an appearance on The Jump.
Oklahoma City pulled the trigger on the trade to Houston, but only after discussions with the Miami Heat fell short.
The Sticking Point in Miami
Miami wanted to acquire Westbrook, and there was mutual interest between him and the Heat, according to Wojnarowski. However, the Thunder wanted some players in return that Miami was unwilling to part with.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Oklahoma City wanted both Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo in a potential trade, and that became the point of contention:
"Because Herro signed with the Heat on Wednesday, he cannot be included in any trade for 30 days, but that isn’t viewed as an obstacle.
"At another point in the discussions this week, the Thunder asked the Heat to include two among Herro, Bam Adebayo and Justise Winslow, according to a source in touch with one of the two teams. The Heat also is opposed to including Adebayo, whom coach Erik Spoelstra ranked among the best centers in the league in the final months of last season."
According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, "people around the league" previously viewed it as "an inevitability" that Westbrook would land in Miami, but the move was not to be. The Heat balked, and the Rockets landed their newest superstar.
Marcus Morris
The Westbrook trade wasn't the only offseason development to unfold on Thursday night. Though he had previously agreed to a deal with the San Antonio Spurs, forward Marcus Morris began to have reservations earlier this week.
Instead of joining the Spurs on a two-year deal, as he had agreed upon, Morris instead began to consider the New York Knicks.
According to Ian Begley of SNY.com, the Knicks "felt confident" they would end up with Morris by Thursday morning.
On Thursday evening, Morris and the Knicks reached an agreement on a one-year, $15 million deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium:
Lakers Still Looking?
As previously mentioned, the Lakers landed a blockbuster trade for Davis. He'll join LeBron James and offseason acquisitions like DeMarcus Cousins and Danny Green in James' newest version of an NBA superteam.
The Lakers may not be done making moves yet, either. Though their roster is largely complete, head coach Frank Vogel has at least been taking a look at some other options.
According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, Vogel attended the workout of free agent Lance Stephenson. Per Kennedy, the coach also attended the workout of Marreese Speights.
This doesn't necessarily mean Los Angeles is going to sign either player. However, the fact Vogel is sniffing around some remaining free agents suggests the Lakers could have one more offseason move in mind.
