Russell Westbrook requested a trade away from the Houston Rockets following a single season with the franchise due to mounting organizational uncertainty and a shifting competitive direction. After the departure of head coach Mike D'Antoni and general manager Daryl Morey, Westbrook expressed a desire to move on to a new environment where he could resume playing his preferred style of basketball, prompting the front office to facilitate a blockbuster deal that sent him to the Washington Wizards in exchange for John Wall and future draft assets.