7. Houston Rockets
Marquee summer move: Trading Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook
The Houston Rockets are, no question, one of the most interesting teams heading into the 2019-20 season. Not because they are considered one of the true contenders in the West – well, they might, depending on what you think of Russell Westbrook – but because they made quite the bold move over the summer in swapping Chris Paul for Westbrook.
While it may look like a great move on paper, I’m not so sure the duo of Westbrook and James Harden will be all that seamless when they take the floor together. Their individual games don’t necessarily complement one another.
Nevertheless, this is clearly a hill that the Rockets are comfortably dying on. How good will the Rockets be, and will they be considered legit contenders heading into the playoffs? I honestly have no clue.