The Denver Nuggets have already had a run with one of the best basketball players of the last 20 years, Russell Westbrook. They know what he can do and what value he provides. The Nuggets need to mend the fence with Westbrook because they have a hole at the backup guard spot that Tyus Jones won't be able to fill all on his own. Westbrook would be perfect there, and he's still available.
Inexplicably, the Nuggets told Westbrook last season that he would be buried on the bench, and that he shouldn't take his team option, and he should become a free agent. The Calvin Booth thought process was held over in favor of the Nuggets trying to play Jalen Pickett more, who has now been released after not developing at all last year.
The Nuggets made the wrong call last year
Westbrook instead went to Sacramento to join the Kings, and he ended up starting 58 of 64 games, and he averaged 15.2 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.4 rebounds, still great numbers. Sure, he doesn't play defense like he once did, but he still has the fight and fire inside of him on the basketball court, and the Nuggets could have used that tenacity against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
And they need to bring that back this season. Tell Russ you want him in Denver, and put up with the volatility of his personality. It's probably needed. The Nuggets were too even-keeled last year, and they don't have a coach who fires them up enough in David Adelman. They need a little more spice and fire, and it's possible Westbrook would bring that back.
Not to mention, one of the key problems the Nuggets had last year was ball-handling, and that's a specialty of Russ. The Nuggets need to replace bench scoring from Tim Hardaway Jr.'s departure, and Westbrook's slashing and downhill game is still good enough for a backup position.
The Nuggets can't be picky about talent
The Nuggets can't get picky about who they're trying to sign for the veteran minimum due to their cap space woes, so they need to snag Westbrook before someone else does. He's the best backup point guard left on the free-agent market. He's a great passer, and he fits well from a basketball point of view with how the Nuggets roster is currently being built out.
Russ is really the ideal backup point guard for the Nuggets in 2026-27, given what the market has left to offer. The question is: will the Nuggets and Russ be able to mend fences to make a reunion possible in Denver? I hope so.
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