For the second time in 18 months, the Utah Jazz have traded for former MVP Russell Westbrook. And for the second time, he won’t play for the team.
On Thursday, the Jazz signed and traded veteran guard Kris Dunn to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for a second-round pick swap, Russell Westbrook, and cash. Westbrook will be bought out of his deal, and reportedly intends to sign to play with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was first to report the trade.
Dunn, a fiery veteran defensive point guard who rebuilt his NBA career in Utah, had already decided to sign with the Clippers. But by making the transaction into a sign and trade, the Clippers can sign Dunn to a reported three-year, $17 million contract without using any of their salary cap exceptions. Dunn’s deal includes a team option on the third year, per Wojnarowski.
The Jazz, meanwhile, get a second-round pick swap in 2030 for their troubles. The cash will cover the cost of waiving Westbrook, though his roughly $4 million salary will still count against the Jazz’s salary cap in 2024-25.
Then, the Nuggets will be able to sign Westbrook, now 35, to a minimum-salary deal. That presumes he makes it through the NBA’s waiver process, in which any team would be able to pick up his current contract.
The Jazz now have about $28 million in cap space, and will need to spend roughly $18 million more to get to the NBA’s salary floor. They’ll likely be able to achieve that by extending star forward Lauri Markkanen sometime on or after the Aug. 6 eligibility date.
If this all seems vaguely familiar, you’re right: The Jazz completed a transaction in February 2023 in which they acquired Westbrook, only to buy him out of his contract afterward. Westbrook, along with a top-four 2027 protected pick from the Los Angeles Lakers, was the return for trading Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker to the Timberwolves, plus Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley to the Lakers.
Westbrook averaged 11 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game for the Clippers last year. Dunn, meanwhile, averaged 5.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game for the Jazz, but was a superior 3-point shooter and defender.
The nine-time All-Star and two-time NBA scoring champion also has history with Jazz fans on the sidelines. The most notable incident came in 2019, when a fan was banned from attending Jazz games after getting into a verbal altercation with Westbrook; the fan used taunts Westbrook considered racist. The fan sued Westbrook and the Jazz later that year, but lost the case in 2023.
