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Russell Westbrook is reportedly leaving the Los Angeles Clippers after one-and-a-half seasons with the workforce.
Westbrook was traded to the Utah Jazz after selecting up his $4 million participant choice for the 2024-25 season, in keeping with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowksi. Utah can even obtain a second-round decide swap within the deal, whereas the Clippers will land veteran guard Kris Dunn.
Per Wojnarowski, Westbrook is predicted to comply with a contract buyout with the Jazz and in the end wind up with the Denver Nuggets.
Chris Haynes of TNT Sports activities reported Dunn will signal a three-year, $17 million contract with the Clippers.
Wojnarowski beforehand reported June 29 that Westbrook had picked up his participant choice to return to the Clippers.
Nevertheless, The Athletic’s Legislation Murray mentioned the identical day that it remained “undetermined” whether or not Westbrook can be on the Clippers’ 2024-25 roster.
By July 5, the Clippers have been “brazenly exploring their commerce choices with Westbrook,” in keeping with NBA insider Marc Stein.
Westbrook averaged 11.1 factors, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists largely because the Clippers’ sixth man in 2023-24.
The 2017 MVP shot 45.4 p.c from the sphere and 27.3 p.c from three throughout the common season, his lowest success fee from behind the arc as a Clipper.
Westbrook’s three-point capturing fell off additional as he contributed 6.3 factors and 4.2 rebounds via six playoff video games earlier than the Clippers have been eradicated from the primary spherical by the Dallas Mavericks.
The Clippers re-signed James Harden and likewise signed Kris Dunn and Kevin Porter Jr., successfully pushing Westbrook out of the workforce’s depth chart.
The veteran guard signed with the Clippers following his commerce from the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2023. He’ll depart from the Clippers having averaged 12.2 factors and 5.0 rebounds via 89 regular-season video games and 32 begins.
Westbrook is not the scorer he as soon as was with the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder (main the league with 31.6 factors per sport in 2016-17), however he’ll present veteran ball-handling off the bench because the workforce hopes for his capturing to bounce again throughout his age-36 season.
A ball-dominant participant like Westbrook won’t be a very good match on the court docket with Nikola Jokić, however Jokić might want Westbrook as an choice to guide the Nuggets in transition whereas the workforce’s star heart is on the bench. In accordance with DNVR Sports activities’ Harrison Wind, Jokić had “pushed behind the scenes” for the Nuggets to accumulate Westbrook.