Oklahoma City Thunder trades Russell Westbrook to Houston Rockets for Chris Paul

The Oklahoma City Thunder traded Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul in a swapping of high-priced, elite point guards Thursday.

The Thunder also is getting first-round picks in 2024 and 2026, plus the right to swap first-rounders in two other seasons.

Paul is a nine-time All-Star, Westbrook an eight-time selection. Paul has 9,181 career assists, the most among active players. Westbrook has 138 triple-doubles, tied with Magic Johnson for second most in NBA history behind only Oscar Robertson's 181.

Westbrook and Harden were Thunder teammates for three seasons, the last of those in 2011-12 when that duo and Kevin Durant took Oklahoma City to the NBA Finals. They lost in five games to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Heat, and Harden departed that summer for Houston — where he's been an All-Star ever since.

But when the Thunder agreed last week to trade Paul George to the Clippers, it became clear quickly that Westbrook would be on the move as well. And this trade, when completed, will mean that Thunder General Manager Sam Presti has added seven first-round picks to the team's stockpile in the past week or so.

Oklahoma City got five first-round selections as part of the George trade.

Paul and Harden were teammates for two seasons in Houston. The Rockets had a 3-2 lead over Golden State in the 2018 Western Conference finals when Paul injured a hamstring, and the Warriors rallied to win that series in seven games on the way to the NBA title. This past season, Houston was ousted in the second round by the Warriors.

Roberto Diaz shot a 9-under 62 on to take the first-round lead in the John Deere Classic.

Diaz is winless on the PGA Tour.

Adam Long and Russell Henley were two strokes back.

Martin Laird was another stroke back at 65 with Ryan Palmer, Andrew Landry, Vaughn Taylor, Zack Sucher and Ryan Blaum.

... Alena Sharp and Youngin Chun shared the Marathon Classic lead at 7-under 64, a stroke ahead of Stacy Lewis and three others at Highland Meadows Golf Club. Azahara Munoz, Caroline Masson and Jenny Haglund matched Lewis at 65.

Two-time Pro Bowl running back Melvin Gordon told the Chargers he will not report to training camp and will instead demand a trade unless he receives a new deal.

Gordon, who is scheduled to make $5.6 million this season, is in the final year of the deal he signed with the Chargers after they drafted him 15th overall in 2015 out of Wisconsin. He rushed for 885 yards and caught 50 passes for 490 more yards last year and scored 10 touchdowns.

... Dolphins defensive tackle Kendrick Norton was at fault for a two-car accident last week that resulted in the amputation of his left arm. Norton was issued a citation for an improper lane change of his 2017 Ford F250, which crashed into the right side of a 2015 Maserati before it slammed into a concrete barrier.

Dylan Teuns of Belgium won the first mountain stage of the Tour de France and Giulio Ciccone of Italy took the overall race lead.

Teuns and Ciccone were rewarded for a daring breakaway early in Thursday's Stage 6 that they pursued all the way to the end, up the terrible climb to the Planche des Belles Filles ski station.

Geraint Thomas, the defending champion, rode strongly on the final incline, getting ahead of his teammate.

College basketball: Valparaiso graduate transfer Bakari Evelyn , who averaged 8.4 points per game last year and led the Commodores in three-pointers made with 84, will play for Iowa next season.

NHL: The Dallas Stars re-signed center Jason Dickinson to a $3 million, two-year contract, bringing back an emerging leader after he established career highs in scoring (6-16-22) and playing time (13 mpg).