UCLA Basketball: Hall of Fame Ex-Bruin Joining Contender After Sign-and-Trade

As he pursues a title in his dotage, can he still make an impact?

July 6, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Team USA guard Russell Westbrook and forward Kevin Love during practice at the UNLV Mendenhall Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

As former nine-time All-Star and 2017 league MVP Russell Westbrook, a former UCLA Bruins standout, pursues his first NBA title in his relative dotage (he'll be 36 in October), can he still make a winning impact?

The 6-foot-3 point Westbrook now departs the reeling L.A. Clippers, after picking up his $4 million player option for the 2024-25 season earlier this summer, despite knowing that the team strangely decided to part ways with its second-best player, nine-time All-Star Paul George, and seemed to signal a shift to post-contention life.

Westbrook is set to join the mighty Denver Nuggets, just one season removed from claiming their first-ever NBA championship, in a sign-and-trade deal. For the second time in his career, Westbrook is being traded to the Utah Jazz and will be bought out, as part of a sign-and-trade that will see Utah guard Kris Dunn agree to a three-year, $17 million deal and be sent to L.A., reports Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Upon negotiating a buyout with the Jazz, Westbrook will sign with the Nuggets. Westbrook will immediately step into a sixth man role for Denver, and will quarterback the club's offense when Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic sit.

Rumors connecting Westbrook to the Nuggets have been circulating for several weeks this summer.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium and Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, L.A. had been trying to figure out a trade to offload Westbrook's deal pretty much ever since he picked it up. Westbrook started out the 2023-24 season as the Clippers' starting point guard, but after former 10-time All-Star combo guard James Harden forced his way into town via trade, Westbrook was demoted to a bench role, which quickly became an uncomfortable fit due to his issues as a defender and shooter. Three-time league MVP center Nikola Jokic apparently advocated for Denver to acquire Westbrook, per Harrison Wind of DNR Sports.

Westbrook, who finished seventh in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season, averaged 11.1 points on a .454/.273/.688 slash line, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.1 steals across 68 games (11 starts), during just 22.5 minutes a night. He saw his output reduced to 19.0 minutes a night in the playoffs, when the Clippers fell to the Dallas Mavericks in a six-game first round series.

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