Wizards getting Rivers for Gortat

while helping the Rockets to an NBA-leading 65 wins.

“The last four years have been like knocking on the door, knocking on the door. Now the moment is finally here,” Harden said backstage. “Just every single year you try to come back and be better than you were the year before, and just to be holding that trophy finally, it means a lot.”

In other awards, Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers won Rookie of the Year.

The guard averaged 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, joining Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson as the only rookies to post those numbers in a season.

Simmons, who spent one season at Montverde Academy, helped Philadelphia to a 52-30 record, including ending the season with a 16-game win streak.

He beat finalists Donovan Mitchell of Utah and Jayson Tatum of Boston.

Former Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo, now with the Indiana Pacers, earned Most Improved Player.

He averaged 23.1 points in his first season with the Pacers while nabbing his first All-Star berth. He also led the league in steals for the first time.

The Defensive Player of the Year went to center Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz.

He was the leading votegetter for the league’s AllDefensive first team while anchoring a Jazz defense that ranked second in the NBA in defensive rating.

Lou Williams of the Los Angeles Clippers took Sixth Man honors.

Dwane Casey was chosen Coach of the Year for his work with the Toronto Raptors, who fired him last month. He has since become coach of the Detroit Pistons.