The Denver Nuggets and nine-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook have agreed to a two-year, $6.8 million contract, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. The second year of Westbrook's contract contains a player option, allowing the former league MVP to once again become a free agent ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Westbrook joining the Nuggets has been a done deal for quite some time. Even before the Los Angeles Clippers traded him to the Utah Jazz, where he was eventually bought out, Westbrook and the Nuggets appeared to be on a collision course with one another after three-time MVP Nikola Jokic made it known that he was interested in playing with the 2016-17 MVP.
In an offseason where they lost veteran shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Westbrook now adds dynamic play and energy to a team that could drastically use a player of his caliber off the bench. This is especially true since the team has struggled to find production behind Jamal Murray at the point guard position.
Despite the notion that he is no longer an effective player, Westbrook has performed well in his new role late in his career. Since leaving the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-23 season and joining the Clippers, where he spent the entirety of the 2023-24 season, Westbrook has averaged 12.2 points, 5.2 assists, and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the floor. Although his 30.0 percent three-point shooting percentage with the Clippers is not dazzling, Westbrook did shoot 42.9 percent from the left wing last season.
It is going to be very interesting to see how head coach Michael Malone and the Nuggets look to utilize Westbrook, who is still arguably the most athletic guard in the NBA. With Jokic at the helm of their offense, the Nuggets ranked 27th in pace of play this past year. Westbrook, who has always been known for his up-tempo play, doesn't necessarily fit into Denver's methodical offensive course of attack. His three-point shooting woes also don't fit into what the Nuggets needed to replace Caldwell-Pope with this summer.
Nonetheless, the 35-year-old is still a productive guard late in his career who simply wants to win. The Nuggets needed extra depth in their backcourt, and Westbrook is someone who can help alleviate pressure off of Jokic when the reigning league MVP isn't in the game.
Russell Westbrook's fit with Nuggets entering 2024-25 season
When the Nuggets won their first title in 2023, it appeared as if they would be the league's next-best dynasty. Then Bruce Brown and Jeff Green departed in free agency, two key veterans that Denver had trouble replacing during the 2023-24 season. Now Caldwell-Pope is a member of the Orlando Magic, leaving the Nuggets with their main core of Jokic, Murray, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., and a handful of youthful, inexperienced talents.
Other than DeAndre Jordan, Westbrook now joins the Nuggets as their only experienced option to turn to on the bench. A lot of pressure now falls on the shoulders of Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson, and Christian Braun to replicate the production the Nuggets received from Caldwell-Pope through the years.
The biggest question mark surrounding the Nuggets and Westbrook is what the future Hall of Famer's role will look like. Westbrook is no longer viewed as a starting point guard around the league after finding success as a sixth man in Los Angeles, but will he be able to truly help lift the Nuggets back to championship glory?
After all, winning a title may be the only thing Westbrook hasn't achieved to this point in his career. Playing in Denver may be his best chance to get a ring before retiring.
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