The Rockets trade Russell Westbrook (left) to Washington for John Wall and a draft choice.
The Houston Rockets traded Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards for John Wall and a future lottery-protected first-round pick.
Both teams announced the trade Wednesday night.
The move ends Westbrook’s tenure in Houston after just one disappointing season. Westbrook was traded from Oklahoma City for Chris Paul and draft picks in July 2019.
The Rockets had hoped the 32-year-old Westbrook would be the final piece they needed to win their first title since winning back-to-back championships in 1994-95. But instead they were eliminated from the playoffs by the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.
Westbrook was the 2017 NBA MVP and is a nine-time All-Star.
Wall, the first overall pick in the 2010 draft, has spent his entire career in Washington. He’s a five-time All-Star.
More NBA
LeBron James has agreed to a contract extension with the Lakers.
James’ agency, Klutch Sports, confirmed the deal during the first week of training camp for the NBA champions. The Lakers are still finalizing their new contract with Anthony Davis, who is also represented by Klutch CEO Rich Paul.
The L.A. Times reported James’ extension is a two-year, $85 million deal through the 2022-23 season. James’ previous contract ran only through the upcoming season with a player option for 2021-22.
• The NBA said 48 players have tested positive for the coronavirus since testing resumed last week. The league and National Basketball Players Association said 546 players were tested between Nov. 24-30 in the initial phase of testing after returning to team markets. That means about 9 percent of the
tests were positive.
The Pistons have agreed to a non-guaranteed deal with LiAngelo Ball.
Champions League
Neymar scored twice to lead Paris Saint-Germain to a 3-1 victory at 10-man Manchester United, leaving both teams’ hopes of reaching the knockout stage uncertain heading into their final group games.
• Antoine Griezmann scored for the third straight game to lead Barcelona to a 3-0 win at Hungarian champion Ferencvaros.
Olivier Giroud scored four goals as Chelsea comfortably beat Sevilla 4-0 to secure first place in Group E.
• Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 750th career goal to help Juventus beat Dynamo Kyiv 3-0 and leave it with a chance of se
curing top spot in its group.
More soccer
The San Diego Sockers will participate in the 2020-2021 Major Arena Soccer League regular season, joining 10 other clubs.
The regular season may start as early as Dec. 31, with a final regular season date of April 18, 2021.
Mesquite and Turlock have joined Milwaukee, Monterrey and Sonora as clubs deciding not to participate due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
NHL
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman warned players they are likely going to have to pay one way or another to make up for the league’s projected lost revenue whenever the 2020-21
season gets underway. He said the fiscal realities amid the pandemic mean the 50-50 revenuesharing split between owners and players will be affected for at least the near future.
Also
Tennis Australia says it is awaiting confirmation from the Victorian state government on its plans for the Australian Open amid reports that it will be delayed by three weeks and not start until Feb. 8.
Former Washington Football Team and San Francisco 49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Lexington, Ky., to one charge of conspiring to defraud a program set up to reimburse former NFL players for out-of-pocket medical expenses.