Jazz Acquire Russell Westbrook in Sign-and-Trade, Set to Buyout

The Utah Jazz got themselves involved in the latest NBA action.

Apr 21, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) celebrates after a dunk on a pass from guard James Harden (1) in the first half during game one of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Utah Jazz made a trade! But, it's not the big Lauri Markkanen blockbuster everyone was expecting...

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers have agreed to a sign-and-trade that sends out Kris Dunn, bringing in Russell Westbrook and a second-round pick to Utah.

Westbrook isn't expected to stay in Utah very long at all. Wojnarowski continued to report that the Jazz and the 9x All-Star are to agree on a contract buyout, ultimately paving the way for him to join Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

The Clippers were already expected to bring in Dunn, but a rumored sign-and-trade was in the works that held up the signing to be official. Now, he's able to finally join aboard as a backcourt piece in Los Angeles that's headlined by a group of James Harden and Terance Mann.

When it comes to Denver, Westbrook's reported mutual interest with Denver spanned over the past couple of weeks, making it a matter of time before the two sides were able to hammer something out. As a result, the Jazz found themselves into the fold, effectively facilitating a sign and trade for Dunn.

Utah has continued to remain conservative in their moves this offseason, but there's still potential for something significant to come to form with Danny Ainge at the helm. Keep an eye on this front office as we enter the quieter days of the NBA offseason.

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