Jazz Officially Waive Russell Westbrook, Who Will Earn More Than Opt-In With Nuggets

In news of what was always considered a formality, the Utah Jazz have waived guard Russell Westbrook, the team announced in a press release.

Westbrook was acquired by the Jazz in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers and is headed to the Denver Nuggets. That much you likely already knew.

But this does more for Westbrook than just land him with another contender.

“Between his buyout and his expected contract from Denver, Westbrook is going to make a bit more than his opt-in number with the Clippers,” wrote Tony Jones of The Athletic.

So there you have it. A win for everyone, it seems.

No less than Nuggets star Nikola Jokic endorsed the idea of the team adding Westbrook once it became known that Westbrook was available, per Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports.

This marks the second time in 18 months that Westbrook has been acquired by the Jazz, via a team from Los Angeles, only to be immediately waived.

Meanwhile, both Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth and coach Michael Malone went on record in recent days saying the team was looking for another guard this offseason.

“Russell Westbrook remains a target for that role, sources say, and Denver is widely seen as the most plausible destination for the future Hall of Famer, who picked up a $4 million player option with the Clippers at the end of June,” Bennett Durando of the Denver Post wrote earlier this month. “Nikola Jokic has indeed endorsed the idea of acquiring Westbrook, according to a league source, but he hasn’t approached the front office demanding or pressuring Denver to make it happen.

“The Nuggets value the opinion of their superstar and take it into account when assessing potential roster moves, like most teams do. In this case? Jokic has spent time around Westbrook at multiple All-Star Games and has always admired his game, as well as his competitiveness and intensity, one source said, making Westbrook an appealing teammate.”

The NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles, Westbrook averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.3 blocks in 2023-24 while shooting 45.4% from the field, 27.3% from beyond the arc and 68.8% from the foul line.

Denver lost starting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who left for the Orlando Magic in free agency.

“I think we need some help in the backcourt,” Booth told Altitude TV. “We are going to try to continue to identify that and survey the market. We have a roster spot left and I think if we can add a high-level guard, we will be happy with that.”