3 paths for the Denver Nuggets to acquire Russell Westbrook this summer
By Ben Handler
Option 2.) - Get involved in a 3-team trade and absorb Westbrook
This may end up being the easiest way to make a Westbrook deal work; just wait for other teams to make moves and try to sneak in. The framework is actually already mostly in place here as the Clippers agreed to add Kris Dunn in free agency, but they are now said to be working with the Jazz to turn that move into a sign and trade.
If that’s the case, the player the Clippers would want to send out is almost certainly Westbrook and they’ll need a third team to take his contract so they can add Dunn. Well, enter the Nuggets in a perfect situation. They have the means (mentioned above) to make this work and the Clippers, after losing Paul George, are not under the first apron, while the Jazz are a cap space team.
That means there won’t be any crazy CBA restrictions that complicate a potential deal. The Nuggets basically just need to send a matching salary or a TPE to Utah and this can be a nice neat three-way. The Jazz or Clippers may want some additional sweetener in this deal, but that’s for those teams to figure out.
In this scenario, the Nuggets are getting involved just to help facilitate the deal, but it works well because they’d also get the guy they want. Hopefully, this can get resolved quickly as it seems like the path is already mostly paved.