Russell Westbrook took to his Instagram account to say he is “eternally grateful” for the 11 years he spent in Oklahoma and thanked the Thunder fans for their unconditional love and support.
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Westbrook left Oklahoma City after the Thunder agreed to a blockbuster trade with the Houston Rockets, sending Russell to Texas, reuniting him with former Thunder teammate James Harden. OKC received All-Star point guard Chris Paul, two protected first-round picks (2024 and 2026), and two pick swaps (2021 and 2025).
Westbrook and Harden, two former league MVP’s, played together with the Oklahoma City Thunder for three years, including the 2011-12 season in which two of them, along with Kevin Durant, led OKC to the NBA Finals. They lost the finals to the Miami Heat in five games, and Harden moved the following summer to Houston, where he has been an All-Star in every season since.
“When I left OKC, I was sad. Then Houston made a home for me,” Harden said. “Rockets is my home. And now an opportunity came available where Russ wasn’t happy. Now we’re back. It’s going to be a lot of fun this year, I guarantee you that. Believe it.”
Even though the Westbrook-Paul trade has not been formally announced, the Oklahoma City Thunder acknowledged Westbrook on their Twitter account.
On the other hand, Houston Rockets governor (owner) Tilman Fertitta is excited that Westbrook is coming to the team.
“We’re excited to have Russell Westbrook,” Fertitta said. “I would watch him play for Oklahoma City, and he’s so athletic. At the same time, this franchise just had the two years with the most wins it’s ever had in consecutive years, and we wouldn’t have accomplished that without Chris Paul. Chris Paul is unbelievable, and he’s gonna be sadly missed.”
While Westbrook and Harden will try to take the Rockets to the NBA Finals this year, it remains to be seen whether Chris Paul will actually play a single game for the Thunder or if they will ship him away in another trade.
