Russell Westbrook 'Intrigued' by Playing with James Harden in Rockets Offense

As Russell Westbrook prepares to play for the Houston Rockets next season, the 2016-17 NBA MVP is reportedly looking forward to reuniting with James Harden and working with head coach Mike D'Antoni.

Per The Athletic's Brett Dawson and Michael Lee, Westbrook is "intrigued by the possibilities" of playing in Houston's offense because of the system D'Antoni uses: "Westbrook's expectation is that he'll have more open driving lanes and that he'll be surrounded by more shooting than he has been in Oklahoma City. He's excited, the source said, by the challenges he and Harden can create together for a defense."

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that the Oklahoma City Thunder will trade Westbrook to Houston in exchange for Chris Paul, two protected first-round draft picks and two pick swaps.

Dawson and Lee noted Houston utilizes a lineup that spreads the floor and doesn't often have a center to clog the paint.

The Rockets roster has the potential to be the best Westbrook has played with since Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City after the 2015-16 season. Westbrook will slot into a starting five that includes Harden, Clint Capela, PJ Tucker and Eric Gordon.

Oklahoma City added a second superstar prior to the 2017-18 season with the acquisition of Paul George. The duo of Westbrook and George had success in the regular season but couldn't make it out of the first round of the playoffs.

Westbrook will attempt to get the Rockets over the postseason hump after the Golden State Warriors eliminated Houston the previous two seasons. The 30-year-old has averaged a triple-double in each of the past three seasons and has led the NBA in assists the last two years.