If it’s possible for the acquisition of a bench player to be flashy, this situation qualifies.
The Clippers are seeking trade partners for future Hall of Famer and former league MVP Russell Westbrook, and the Nuggets have shown interest, a league source confirmed to The Denver Post this week.
Westbrook, 35, has made nine All-NBA teams and nine All-Star teams, but none since the 2019-20 season. Should Denver go for it with the all-time triple-doubles leader? As the free agency moratorium period drags on without a move from the Nuggets, here are some pros and cons of adding Westbrook.
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Pro: Experience and pedigree
The Nuggets’ commitment to buoying their roster through the draft is well-documented, but their bench is starting to look a little too young. Assuming Christian Braun moves into the starting lineup after the loss of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the remaining non-starters on Denver’s roster as of Tuesday have played only 4,788 NBA minutes combined. And 50% of those minutes are attributed to Zeke Nnaji, who was in and out of the rotation last season (and won’t be guaranteed anything next season either, amid a crowded frontcourt depth chart).
But even if you include Nnaji in a projected second unit, and leave out rookie DaRon Holmes II, and anticipate a new veteran minimum contract for Vlatko Cancar (which should be agreed upon soon), the lineup of Jalen Pickett, Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson, Cancar and Nnaji would still be among the most inexperienced benches in the league. Westbrook has played more than six times the regular-season minutes of those five players combined, and 20 times their combined playoff minutes. The 2016-17 league MVP has seen a lot. Many of the players he would be sharing the floor with are guys who watched him when they were children.
Con: Playoff performance
The most recent impression of Westbrook was the 2024 first-round playoff matchup between the Clippers and Mavericks. After a 5-for-8 Game 1, he struggled dramatically in the last five games of the series, shooting 19% from the field (8 of 42) with as many turnovers as assists. It’s a lingering reminder of how capricious Westbrook’s game can be.
Ideally, Denver wouldn’t need to lean on him heavily in a playoff setting, whereas Kawhi Leonard’s injury threw off the Clippers’ entire identity this go-around. But Jamal Murray also has his own injury history. He admitted to dealing with physical limitations during the Nuggets’ 2024 title defense. If Westbrook ends up in a position where he’s needed to play more and score more next postseason, there would certainly be skepticism as to whether he can rise to the occasion at this stage in his career.
There’s no doubt Westbrook would be hungry in Denver (or wherever he lands): He’s currently one of eight MVPs in league history without a ring, and he hasn’t been to the NBA Finals since 2012.
Pro: His skillset fits a need
The Nuggets need a guard who’s capable of applying rim pressure on his own. Westbrook is the rare example of a backup point guard who has proven he can do that at an All-Star level. He makes sense as an engine for Denver’s second unit, which has struggled to score for years, and it’s not hard to envision him discovering a synergy with fellow triple-double master Nikola Jokic in their shared minutes. (The Nuggets like to stagger Murray, especially during the playoffs.)
With the Clippers, Westbrook reinvented himself as an Energizer Bunny role player. He competes at a fast pace, which is always a goal of Denver’s second unit. His effort at both ends of the floor is undebatable and infectious. And he’s one of the best rebounding guards of all time, which could benefit the Nuggets if they want to play small-ball in the Jokic rest minutes.
Con: 3-point shooting
Denver is not a team that needed to desperately rely on the 3-pointer to win the championship, but it helped to have players who could knock down those shots consistently. Low volume and high efficiency made for a winning formula around Jokic. Westbrook is a career 30.4% shooter beyond the arc, including a 27.3% clip last season. He hasn’t eclipsed 32% since his MVP campaign.
Michael Malone didn’t feel comfortable playing Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson together by the end of the playoffs due to the floor-spacing ramifications vs. Minnesota. Would he feel similar concern about the idea of playing Westbrook alongside a second non-shooter against a good defensive team?
Pro: Affordability
Westbrook picked up a $4 million player option last week before the trade rumors began. The Nuggets could acquire him using their taxpayer mid-level exception (TPMLE) in a trade without sacrificing young players, or they could sign him using the TPMLE if the Clippers waive him. A third team could also be brought into a trade so Los Angeles gets a player back.
Another route could involve packaging two rookie scale contracts match Westbrook’s salary. That would allow Denver to still use the mid-level exception on another free agent, making for a more complete offseason. The downside would be punting on two young young players for one old one.
Denver is operating in free agency on a somewhat tight budget even after losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but Westbrook is easily the most accomplished player available within the constraints of that budget. He would be a risk, but not an expensive risk.
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Con: Recent precedent
No two situations are exactly the same, obviously, but there’s an eerie precedent for what the Nuggets are considering right now — one that would absolutely become a talking point nationally.
One year after the Lakers won the 2020 championship, they lost in the first round of the playoffs. Trying to recapture the magic, they chose to trade Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the offseason, replacing him and other guards with … Westbrook. The Lakers went 33-49 the next season.
And now the Nuggets are at a tricky juncture in their own title window, one year removed from the 2023 championship. They just lost in the second round of the playoffs. They’re trying to recapture the magic. They had a chance to re-sign Caldwell-Pope but instead chose to let him walk off into the Orlando sunset. Is Westbrook destined to be part of the replacement strategy again?
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Originally Published: July 2, 2024 at 6:45 p.m.
