After the 2019 playoffs, the Houston Rockets were confident they could resolve the issues between James Harden and Chris Paul. Paul had lobbied Mike D'Antoni to implement more structure and movement in Houston's system instead of revolving around Harden isolations. One of Paul's biggest concerns was Harden essentially not participating in the offense when the ball wasn't in his hands.

The plan to have Paul remain with the Rockets changed as soon as Russell Westbrook became available by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Harden told the Rockets he would demand a trade if they didn't find a way to acquire Westbrook for Paul. Houston ultimately decided to execute the trade in which they gave up their first round picks in 2024 and 2026 along with swap rights in 2021 and 2025.

Westbrook initially struggled and expressed his displeasure with not being able to "play my game."

Before the trade, D'Antoni privately expressed his concerns about the Harden-Westbrook fit. But Westbrook eventually flourished when the Rockets went extra small.