Westbrook is making the move from ‘Tinseltown’ to the ‘Mile High City’. The Los Angeles Clippers are trading Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz, CBS Sports’ Bill Reiter confirms. Utah is expected to agree on a contract buyout with Westbrook and then the no-doubt, first ballot Hall of Fame veteran guard and former MVP is expected to sign with the Denver Nuggets, according to ESPN’s NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
This is an expanded deal that was first reported back on July 1 by Bleacher Report’ and TNT’s Chris Haynes, in which Utah guard Kris Dunn agreed to a deal with the Clippers as an unrestricted free agent. Dunn will officially head to the Clippers on a three-year, $17 million contract as part of the sign-and-trade, according to Haynes. The Clippers also sent a second-round pick swap and cash consideration to the Jazz.
Westbrook opted into the final year of his deal earlier this summer, which was worth a little over $4 million. Now, it appears that he and the Jazz will have a meeting of the minds and come to an agreement on a buyout number so that he can sign with his preferred choice of the Nuggets.
Westbrook and the Nuggets had previously been linked and had mutual interest in each other, and now it looks like he will be joining the team. While he is no longer in his prime at age 35, and well past his All-Star and MVP-winning days, Westbrook did show value as a scorer and in a sixth man role off the bench this past season with the Clippers. His defensive effort was also a necessity in the second unit.
“I think we need some help in the backcourt,” Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth told ”Altitude TV” on Tuesday. “We are going to try to continue to identify that and survey the market. We have a roster spot left and I think if we can add a high-level guard, we will be happy with that.”
Westbrook brings veteran leadership and even more Finals experience to a Nuggets team that has had a quiet offseason after losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Orlando Magic. Westbrook certainly will not replace KCP’s defense, or his perimeter shooting, however, at a manageable price, he can still be a highly effective piece on a championship-contending team.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was inevitable that the Clippers would trade Westbrook once he opted into his deal. Los Angeles. is entering a rebuilding phase, one without Paul George, who went to the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency and clearly did not see value in keeping Westbrook for another season. They will be getting a bit of a journeyman and injury-prone player in Dunn, who, after being selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2016 draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, has had cups of coffee spent time with the Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Trail Blazers and Jazz.
Westbrook has been dealt five times since 2019, the most ever by a former league MVP, and it is the second straight year he has been traded to Utah. The Lakers sent him to the Jazz at the 2023 NBA trade deadline in February of that year, but he was waived almost immediately by the Jazz, 11 days later to be exact and then signed with the Clippers.
Dunn prides himself as a defensive-minded guard who, in recent seasons, has started to find his shooting stroke from 3-point range. He does not attempt 3s at a particularly high volume, averaging under two attempts a game over the last three seasons, but he is making them at a 37.3% clip when he does have the belief in himself to let it fly from downtown. If he can get that volume up and maintain consistency, he will be a valuable shooter for the Clippers. His defense off the bench will certainly be a welcomed addition to the Clippers second unit, as he showed in Utah that he is capable of staying in front of quicker guards.
