It’s funny to look back now and say it, but it’s undeniable, Russell Westbrook was one of the best value signing of the NBA offseason. His tenure with the Clippers came to an unceremonious end and Russ appeared to be an unwanted free agent.
There was little to no market for the former MVP and it was looking like his days of playing in the NBA may actually be over. But the Nuggets had a desperate need for depth and Westbrook checked a lot of boxes with his energy, competitiveness, ballhandling, veteran leadership, and more.
It seemed like a nice, low-risk signing for Denver and a solid flyer on someone who could maybe give the team a spark off the bench. But thanks to injuries and deficiencies on the roster, Russ has become an extremely important player for the Nuggets throughout the course of the season.
He has played the third most games on the team and averages the fifth most minutes at 28.2 per game. He has played well enough and proven to be a good enough fit alongside Nikola Jokic to start in 35 games as well.
Westbrook likely to leave Nuggets in free agency
When the Nuggets signed Westbrook to a two-year, minimum contract, many were upset that year two was a player-option. It made no sense to give Westbrook the power to control a second year of the deal when he had so little leverage on the market.
It was an annoying move, especially because Calvin Booth has been burnt by similar moves in the past, but overall, it seemed mostly harmless. If anything, the issue was that the Nuggets could end up forced to guarantee a second year of Westbrook at $3.5 million if things went poorly.
But much to the surprise of many, we’ve seen the exact opposite scenario play out, thanks to Russ’ excellent season, averaging 13.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game for a team that is battling for a top-4 seed in a loaded Western Conference.
Now, looking ahead to the offseason, John Hollinger of the Athletic, recently pointed out that Westbrook is clearly worth more than his $3.5 million option and will almost certainly opt out and seek a higher contract.
Denver could offer him the taxpayer midlevel at $5.7 million, but that could still be too low to bring Russ back. Opening up more money would require moving off of a player like Dario Saric or Zeke Nnaji - and we’ve already seen how difficult a task that can be.
It’s somewhat infuriating to think about, but one of the few bright spots from the last offseason is likely on his way out the door after just one season. The Nuggets will go back to having limited means and assets to work with and will be facing the loss of yet another important, valuable, veteran player.