Everyone in Denver is talking about Russell Westbrook trade to the Nuggets. Will the point guard be a valuable addition to the team?
It’s official: Russell Westbrook is a member of the Denver Nuggets. The 9x NBA All-Star and 2017 NBA MVP point guard is joining the 2023 NBA Champion Denver Nuggets, though he won’t be the starting point guard.
Westbrook was traded to the Utah Jazz on July 18 for Kris Dunn in a sign-and-trade deal. Westbrook was then waived two days later, clearing the way for him to sign a deal in free agency with the Denver Nuggets.
What does his trade and signing mean for both the Denver Nuggets odds and Westbrook?
Russell Westbrook Track Record
The trade from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Utah Jazz wasn’t exactly shocking to anyone. It’s been some since Westbrook has been considered one of the best players in the league. The 11.1 points per game he averaged is a far cry from being a league MVP.
Though Westbrook’s trade to the Utah Jazz was for the sole purpose of a buyout, it could not have felt good for what used to be an elite point guard. It wasn’t all that long ago that he was averaging 20 or more points per game each season.
Westbrook’s star has largely been fading since he left the Oklahoma City Thunder. He bounced around, spending a season with the Houston Rockets, a season with the Washington Wizards, and a season and a half with the Los Angeles Lakers before winding up with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 2023-24 season with the Clippers was Westbrook’s worst. Westbrook averaged 11.1 points per game, a far cry from the Westbrook that once hit triple doubles routinely. Rather than being in MVP voting each season, Westbrook will be in a sixth man role for the Denver Nuggets.
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Russell Westbrook Trade Details
On July 18, the sign and trade deal became official. Russell Westbrook (his rights, anyway), the draft rights to Balsa Koprivica, a second-round pick swap and cash considerations were traded to the Utah Jazz for Kris Dunn in a sign and trade deal.
The Utah Jazz immediately bought out Westbrook’s contract two days later on July 20. The contract buyout was no doubt a low point in Westbrook’s career, though it offers a new opportunity. Heading into training camp, Westbrook will join a Nuggets team that had unprecedented success in the playoffs in recent years.
Though he will be a sixth man rather than an NBA MVP candidate, Westbrook has a chance to be impactful again with Denver. The Nuggets remain one of the best teams in the Western Conference and Westbrook can still take over a game from time to time. The sign and trade works for everyone Westbrook got to sign with a contender in the Nuggets and can come off the bench in an effort to revitalize his career.
Announced Russ pic.twitter.com/pUPwOyWZNm
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) July 26, 2024
Implications for the Nuggets
Unlike his time with the Los Angeles Lakers or Los Angeles Clippers, Russell Westbrook will be coming off the bench for the Nuggets. He showed during his tenure with the Clippers that he could still provide quality defense.
The trade from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Utah Jazz might not feel great, but Westbrook has the chance to join one of the best teams in the league. He won’t need to average triple doubles in the regular season as he once did with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Clippers trade could give Westbrook the chance to chase a ring once he clears waivers and joins Denver via free agency.
Potential Fit with the Nuggets
Westbrook will join a contender that he hasn’t had before. His time with the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers had hype in the regular season but never managed to deliver in the playoffs. Coming off the bench, Westbrook will find a new role in his career.
The contract buyout from Utah and subsequent July deal with allow Westbrook to be a bench player for the first time. Westbrook averaged 1.1 steals per game last season with the Clippers, showing that he can still provide quality defense.
The league isn’t the same as when Westbrook last dominated. His points per game may not improve from last season, but that’s not why the Nuggets gave him a deal after the Kriss Dunn trade and second-round pick swap. If the guard can join the Nuggets and show even flashes of his old game, he will be a fantastic addition.
📍Land of the triple-doubles pic.twitter.com/E0PaSPTqtI
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) July 26, 2024
Historical Context
This isn’t the first time that Westbrook has been traded. Despite averaging more than 27 points per game in 2019, and finishing third in the Associated Press MVP voting, Westbrook was traded to the Houston Rockets. After one season, he was traded to the Washington Wizards.
After a season with the Wizards, Westbrook was again traded, this time to the Lakers. Funny enough, this recent trade to the Jazz is not the first time he was dealt to Utah, either. He was traded there ahead of the 2022-23 season, ultimately being bought out so he could join the Clippers. Westbrook went from LeBron James and Anthony Davis with the Lakers to Harden, George, and Leonard with the Clippers.
Finally, Westbrook was one of two players dealt for Dunn. Dunn was the fifth overall pick in 2016 and has since bounced around the league before ultimately landing with the Clippers. Once he clears waivers, Westbrook is expected to agree to a two-year deal with a player option for the second year with the Nuggets.
Career Achievements
Westbrook has done everything in the NBA, most of it during his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 4th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, it can be hard to remember what a superstar Westbrook was because of his time with the Clippers and trade for Dunn.
Westbrook has been to nine NBA All-Star games, made the All-NBA team nine times (first team twice, second team five times, and third team twice), and led the league in assists thrice and points twice. He also won the NBA MVP for the 2017 season.
By the time he landed with the Clippers, Westbrook had taken a hit on his per game averages. He hadn’t looked the same since leaving Oklahoma City, though he could still dominate a game from time to time. The star power got a bit crowded with the Clippers and his game no doubt suffered because of it.
The trajectory of Westbrook’s career will be closely looked at. His time with the Clippers may also have unofficially signaled the end of the ‘super team’ era, an unmitigated disappointment given the first-round loss.
Even still, it is hard to deny that Westbrook was one of the most dominant players in the game during his stint in Oklahoma City. The trade from the Clippers for Dunn might feel like a low point but it could just be a new chapter in what is sure to be a Hall of Fame career.
Westside connection 🤞 pic.twitter.com/kNikWC9ru1
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) July 26, 2024
Reactions to Russell Westbrook Trade
After being traded by the Clippers to Utah, Clippers’ President Lawrence Frank didn’t have much to say about the deal but did say that “Russ is a tremendous player.” He is now expected to agree officially to a 2-year, $6.8 million deal with the Nuggets when he clears waivers in July according to his agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports.
Nuggets management has no delusions about the deal, which includes a player option for the second year. The sign and trade deal involving Kris Dunn could give the guard a bit of a wake-up call. Being able to come off the bench, Westbrook can focus on his defensive game and score sparingly.
The Nuggets could have used more depth after a first-round win in the playoffs, ultimately falling to Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Being traded and waived is never ideal, but Westbrook goes from a toxic situation with the Clippers – and sharing the spotlight with James Harden, Paul George, and Kahawi Leonard – into a situation where he can make a better per game impact.
While it might feel like Westbrook has continued his fall since joining the Clippers, the guard will join a team that will take the pressure off of him. He won’t be in Player of the Year voting, likely won’t be participating at the All-Star break, and won’t be featured on ESPN as he was with the Clippers but that might not be a bad thing.
Russell Westbrook in the team USA in 2012. Russel Westbrook trade to the Nuggets was made official this weekend.
Conclusion
Getting traded along with the draft rights to a young prospect to Utah may been the best thing to happen to Westbrook. Last season with the Clippers was a mess, especially the second half. Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Paul George couldn’t figure it out despite all that talent, bowing out in the first round.
Though his final year with the Clippers will not be remembered fondly, Russell Westbrook has a chance to make an impact different than his time with Oklahoma City, the Lakers, or the Clippers. In his NBA career, the guard has been one of the best in the game. Now, his focus is on helping get the Nuggets out of the first round and to the first NBA championship of his career.
