NBA: OKC Thunder, Houston Rockets With Peculiar Post-Trade Statistic

KEY POINTS

The OKC Thunder and Houston Rockets were involved in a blockbuster deal last season
Russell Westbrook is in his first franchise outside OKC after 11 seasons with the Thunder
The OKC Thunder and Houston Rockets both currently have the same amount of wins this season

The OKC Thunder and the Houston Rockets made the biggest trade of the off-season before entering the 2019-2020 NBA season. The world saw the OKC Thunder trade away the biggest name of their franchise, Russell Westbrook. In exchange, the Thunder received Chris Paul and a package of picks.

At that time it seemed like a bold move for the Thunder to trade away a once-in-a-generation type of player. Russell Westbrook has been busy rewriting history with the multiple years he’s been averaging triple-doubles. He was the face of the franchise and has spent 11 seasons for the team.

On the other side, the Houston Rockets gave up Chris Paul and other draft pick considerations. The Rockets were coming off a tough playoff series and decided to bring in Russell Westbrook with James Harden showing mutual interest in playing alongside his former teammate.

The duo of two former MVPs in the Houston Rockets was the talk of the league. The added fact that the two have chemistry with one another showed promise. James Harden started his career with the Thunder with the young OKC core that was full of potential. His last NBA game as a member of the Oklahoma franchise was in the 2012 Finals.

The OKC Thunder, on the other hand, was perceived to be in a rebuilding stage. Giving away their star player in exchange for an abundance of draft picks showed signs that they were looking ahead of the future. But with half of a season almost in the books, the two teams are now in a comparable angle.

As tweeted by Zach Kram of the Ringer, the OKC Thunder has the same wins as the Houston Rockets. This is with a note that the Rockets are ahead of the standings as they have played two games less, with a difference of two losses.

Stat of the Day #101!

Last summer, the Thunder traded Russell Westbrook to the Rockets.

Now, the Thunder have the same number of wins as the Rockets (in two fewer games, but still).
— Zach Kram (@zachkram) January 30, 2020

It’s still quite early to jump into conclusions on who will have the better output of the trade. But with the season midway, both squads look even in the Western Conference standings. The Thunder currently leads their head to head matchup against the Rockets this season by winning 2 out of 3 outings.