Russell Westbrook Is Being Traded To The Jazz And Bought Out (Again) Before Joining The Nuggets

Russell Westbrook ‘s time as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers came to an end at the 2023 trade deadline when L.A. sent him to the Utah Jazz, which bought him out and opened up a path for him to join the Los Angeles Clippers. Fast-forward to this offseason and after a tumultuous tenure with the Clippers, that exact thing is happening once again.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Clippers are sending Westbrook to the Jazz, along with a second-round pick swap and cash, as part of a sign-and-trade to bring Kris Dunn to L.A. After the trade, Westbrook is going to get bought out, which will make it easy for him to join the Denver Nuggets , a team that has had interest in bringing him on board throughout this summer.

Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report brought word that the Clippers will make it a point to keep Dunn around, as the sign-and-trade will give him a 3-year, $17 million deal that adds some defensive tenacity in the team’s backcourt.

A report earlier this offseason indicated that Denver wanted to acquire Westbrook, with Nikola Jokic personally pushing for the team to get him after losing both Reggie Jackson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope this summer. Westbrook is coming off of a campaign where he largely held a bench role with the Clippers, and averaged 11.1 points, five rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.1 steals in 22.5 minutes per game.