After one year in Texas, nine-time All-Star guard Russell Westbrook has informed Houston Rockets officials that he wants to leave the team, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania, Kelly Iko, and Sam Amick.
Chief among Westbrook's issues with the Rockets is a perceived lack of team-wide accountability, discipline, and structure.
Westbrook, who turns 32 on Thursday, averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, seven assists, and 1.6 steals per game with an effective field-goal rate of 49.3% in 2019-20, his first year with the Rockets.
With the 2017 league MVP playing alongside former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate James Harden, the Rockets went 44-28 (.611) to finish fourth in the Western Conference in the pandemic-shortened season. Houston beat the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs, then fell to the eventual-champion Los Angeles Lakers in Round 2.
For his part, Harden is reportedly "locked in" with the Rockets for the 2020-21 season, according to The Athletic.
The owner of one of the NBA's heftiest deals, Westbrook can't reach free agency before the 2022 offseason. The 32-year-old has a player option worth $47.1 million for the 2022-23 campaign.
| SEASON | SALARY |
|---|---|
| 2020-21 | $41.4M |
| 2021-22 | $44.2M |
| 2022-23 | $47.1M* |
* Player option
