The Denver Nuggets Acquire Russell Westbrook in Free Agency

The Denver Nuggets and former MVP Russell Westbrook have agreed to terms on a two-year, $6.8 Million contract, per Shams Charania. The deal includes a player option. Westbrook, a 9x All-Star, 2x All-NBA First Teamer, and the NBA’s All-Time leader in Triple-Doubles agreed to the deal after clearing waivers and hitting free agency.

Westbrook last played for the Los Angeles Clippers, who traded him to the Utah Jazz, who subsequently waived the guard. The Nuggets now have a full roster.

Westbrook joins a Nuggets team seeking to bolster its bench and return to the Finals after bowing out in the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. The Nuggets already parted ways with guards Reggie Jackson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, intensifying their need for additional ball-handling. Westbrook headlines Denver’s free-agent acquisitions alongside Dario Šarić. Both will shoulder significant responsibility in building a better bench.

At age 35, Westbrook is far removed from his MVP days but should still aid Denver in multiple areas of need. Namely, ball-handling, rebounding, and, yes, athleticism, even in the year 2024. The move brings with it, however, the same set of questions that every Westbrook suitor has faced in recent years:

• How will he adapt to his new role?
• How much does he expect to play, and how will that impact the rotation?
• Will his shot selection issues rear their ugly head?

When dealing in minimum contracts, few signings are perfect. And with few remaining paths to improvement, adding a player with Westbrook’s pedigree is an easy sell. The move also comes with 3x MVP Nikola Jokić‘s blessing.

Westbrook immediately projects as the backup point guard in Denver. He’ll likely factor in other conversations like spot starts in the face of injury and closing some games. He averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 68 games in 2023-24.