After a disappointing start to their summer, which included losing a starter to free agency, having to give up three seconds to offload a backup, and having their first-round selection tear his ACL, the Denver Nuggets were due for some good news. After having been linked to former LA Clippers guard Russell Westbrook, it seemed as though they might have to trade for him, but he was just traded to the Utah Jazz and is expected to be released and sign with Denver.
Once Russell Westbrook clears waivers, the expectation is that he’ll join the Denver Nuggets as a free agent and bring them another veteran to bolster the team’s bench and be available as a spot-starter. pic.twitter.com/HOAoYgyn59
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 18, 2024
Although Westbrook is a shell of his former self, he is a potentially good pick-up for the Nuggets, who are paper thin at the moment. The loss of Kentavious-Caldwell Pope hurt their depth, which was already a problem during the 2023 playoffs. Westbrook, despite his well-earned nickname of "Westbrick," is still a good playmaker with his ability to push the pace and attack the basket, helping him find teammates easy baskets.
In fact, in 123 games coming off the bench, he's averaged 13.0 points, 5.5 assists, and 5.0 rebounds. And while his triple-doubles have often been questioned as stat padding, having a player who can score, rebound, and pass like that in the second unit is worth a flyer for a Nuggets team that doesn't have many options.
The Nuggets’ current projected starting lineup and rotation entering next season:
Projected starter lineup: Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokić
Projected Second Unit: Russell Westbrook, Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson, Vlatko Čančar, and Dario Saric
The Nuggets starting lineup would be mostly unchanged, aside from the loss of KCP, with him likely to be replaced by Christian Braun. The hope is that he will take a major step forward in year three. Their bench is more of a question mark, with two second-year players. But Westbrook, along with Saric, will provide veteran leadership and both Jokic and Westbrook can help them get easy baskets.
Ultimately, the addition of Westbrook is a low-risk, medium-reward move for the Nuggets, who could use some of what he can provide. While there are a lot of question marks surrounding the Nuggets, as long as they have a healthy roster, they should still be a top-4 team in the Western Conference with a chance to make a deep playoff run.