As the calendar flips to August, NBA free agency has essentially been going on for over a month, and Russell Westbrook remains unsigned. Even for a minimum contract, nobody wants the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer, yet he was a massive part of the Nuggets’ rotation last season.
Westbrook played the fifth-most minutes of anyone on the Nuggets last season and started 36 games. He was by far their most utilized bench player in the regular season and playoffs and was a key part of the team. He played major minutes in the postseason and was often on the floor in crunch time, including some huge moments in the series victory over the Clippers.
That Nuggets team came within one game of defeating the eventual champs, the Thunder in round two, and they did it while heavily using a guy who doesn’t have an NBA contract currently. Just months after that playoff run, the team’s sixth man can’t even find a home.
Denver’s depth was so paltry that they needed a guy like Russ to come in and try to plug every hole. He did a great job, all things considered, but it was clear that he did just about as much harm as good. But the Nuggets simply had no better options on the roster.
Nuggets’ revamped roster fixed Westbrook problem
But now, the Nuggets have added three proven vets to the bench in Jonas Valanciunas, Bruce Brown, and Tim Hardaway Jr., plus have a steady youth movement with DaRon Holmes, Peyton Watson, Julian Strawther, and Jalen Pickett.
Denver is now loaded, and there is no longer a need for Russ and his extremely loud and volatile play style. But the idea that every team in the league has made the same assessment to this point just shows how much the deck was stacked against the Nuggets last season and how impressive it is that they came so close to knocking off OKC.
Westbrook may end up in Sacramento
There have been rumors that the Kings are interested in signing Westbrook, and it seems likely he’ll eventually catch on somewhere, but that’s supposedly being held up by the Jonathan Kuminga contract situation. Many teams, including the Kings, are monitoring Kuminga closely and don’t want to make corresponding moves until that matter is settled.
But that market is holding up what’s left of free agency, and for now, that includes Westbrook. He’s too good not to be in the NBA, but he’s clearly not good enough to have a high-leverage role on a playoff team. That was the scenario last season, and it’s amazing that the Nuggets made it as far as they did.