The NBA offseason continues and there is a lot of NBA news that continues to come out as the Olympics are gearing up. The Los Angeles Clippers have made a move as they have traded away Russell Westbrook, a second-round pick swap and cash to the Utah Jazz for Kris Dunn (sign-and-trade).
This is a major move as it indicates that the Clippers are ready to move on from a majority of this veteran-laded roster while the Utah Jazz continue to rebuild their roster and take the pick swap and cash. However, it already appears that one contender is ready to take advantage of this NBA news and add Russell Westbrook to their team.
What does this NBA news mean for Russell Westbrook’s future?
Russell Westbrook opted into the second year of his two-year, $7.8 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers and was traded and then cleared waivers. It appears like he will be signing with the Denver Nuggets and joining another former MVP in center Nikola Jokic. That will certainly make some incredible NBA news as the offseason continues.
The Nuggets were in the market for a backup point guard after losing both Reggie Jackson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency. Westbrook struggled last season as he had a 45.4/27.3/68.8 shooting split in 68 games and averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 22.5 minutes per night.
The postseason saw him become a complete non-factor as well as he averaged 6.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 26.0 percent from the floor in six games against the Dallas Mavericks. However, this gives Russell Westbrook a chance to come off the bench in relief of point guard Jamal Murray and accept that role to dominate off the bench with a legitimate contender.
This Los Angeles Clippers team now has to find an identity after Paul George left to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, Russell Westbrook being traded away and Kawhi Leonard being taken off of the Olympic team due to knee problems.
What does Kris Dunn do for the Clippers?
Kris Dunn is a defensive-minded guard that was sixth in the NBA in deflections per 36 minutes among players that played 1,000+ minutes last season. Dunn signed a three-year, $17 million contract with a non-guarantee in the third year. He shot the three extremely well last season, connecting on 36.9% from beyond the arc. His numbers do not stand out though with 5.4 points, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game. ‘
It will be interesting to see how a group led by Kawhi Leonard and James Harden look in the Western Conference as the Clippers just opened a new arena to call home. Will there be more NBA news regarding this team?
