The NBA offseason is always compelling, delivering at least a couple “Game of Thrones”-level trades and free agent signings each year. And even though the offseason moved from summer to fall because of COVID, that hasn’t slowed down the news cycle any. The latest: the Houston Rockets traded Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards for John Wall and a future first round draft pick.
This news took NBA Twitter by storm on Wednesday night, with pretty much everyone unloading joke after joke about the trade. On paper, it’s not a trade that seems like it would change much for either team — both Westbrook and Wall are high-scoring, ball-hog point guards heading to teams with high-scoring, ball-hog shooting guards (James Harden for the Rockets and Bradley Beal for the Wizards).
But in the NBA, chemistry is just as important as superstars, and maybe the Westbrook and Wall will find better fits on their new teams. Westbrook is reuniting with his old coach from the Oklahoma City Thunder, Scott Brooks, and maybe that’ll help.
But that’s something we can’t know until the season gets underway later this month. So for now, folks are mostly just doing jokes about how Bradley Beal is never gonna get the ball with Westbrook running point.
Even with a trade like this where there’s no clear winner between the teams involved, the meme-fueled NBA Twitter always wins with its nonstop stream of jokes every time something like this happens. So let’s take a look at some of the best memes that were shared on Twitter Wednesday night in response to the big Westbrook trade.
Westbrook showing up in DC to replace Wall like pic.twitter.com/ZL9KNG7jAe
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) December 3, 2020
Bradley Beal’s 30ppg seeing the Wizards trade for Russell Westbrook pic.twitter.com/mkRaWp1JYp
— Stephen A. Smith Burner (@SASBurnerAcct) December 3, 2020
The Rockets and Wizards immediately after that Russell Westbrook/John Wall trade ? pic.twitter.com/Zr0nCc7svW
— Not Bill Walton (@NotBillWalton) December 3, 2020
Rockets trading Russell Westbrook for John Wall pic.twitter.com/toGCiT50ip
— #LakerNation (@RTSportsTalk) December 3, 2020
James Harden to Chris Paul after being stuck with Russell Westbrook and now John Wall
— George Jarjour (@GeorgeOnTap) December 3, 2020
Beal watching Westbrook pull up for a game winning three in the play in game pic.twitter.com/gZFEpG9rpo
— SGG Media (@SGG_hq) December 3, 2020
Bradley Beal seeing Russell Westbrook come to Washington https://t.co/JF6QovecYZ
— Matthew McGovern (@MatthewMcGovern) December 3, 2020
Bradley Beal when he’s wide open and Westbrook doesn’t pass. pic.twitter.com/ISPesQG9O7
— JPW (@JWepp) December 3, 2020
Westbrook to Beal when he meet the rest of the team pic.twitter.com/9VEwWKOu0Z
— Kofie (@Kofie) December 3, 2020
Westbrook and Bradley Beal after putting up a combined 60 points but getting blown out by 20 pic.twitter.com/gVYPRnf5gP
— AC Tatum (@actatumonline) December 3, 2020
James Harden watching Russell Westbrook get traded pic.twitter.com/uVONe5DHSV
— SpongeBob Sports (@SpongeBobSports) December 3, 2020
https://twitter.com/24KobeGoat24/status/1334312230007971847
https://twitter.com/steviesburner2/status/1334309835173662720
The start of the NBA season is very close now, as the first regular season games are set for Dec. 22. On opening night, Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets will battle the Golden State Warriors — the team he led to two NBA titles. That matchup will be followed by an intra-city faceoff between the LA Clippers and LA Lakers.
When will we see Westbrook and Wall on their respective new teams? The league has only announced only a tiny portion of the schedule thus far — and neither the Rockets nor Wizards are on it. But the Rockets will have their first preseason game on Dec. 11 against the Chicago Bulls, and the Wizards will kick off their preseason on Dec. 13 against the Brooklyn Nets — a game that should also mark Kevin Durant’s first appearance on the court in a Nets jersey.
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