Why Denver would want an aging Westbrook.
After a quiet offseason, big news broke. The Denver Nuggets acquired Russell Westbrook on Monday (July 19). Westbrook had one more year left on his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers and requested a trade, joining Denver, which had shown strong interest in Westbrook.
The combination of Nikola Jokic and Westbrook is fun to imagine. Denver is known for being an offensive team. It seems like a great environment for 메이저사이트 Westbrook to thrive in.
The problem is that Westbrook is a player who is clearly on the decline. Born in 1988, Westbrook is now in his mid-30s. The explosive athleticism of his prime has diminished, and his outside shot remains a weakness. He also has a huge ego, which makes him a difficult player for coaches to control. So why did Denver sign Westbrook?
First, we have to look at Denver”s salary cap situation. Denver has about $180 million in salary committed for the 2024-2025 season. The NBA has a luxury tax line, followed by a salary cap system called the first apron and second apron.
The NBA’s announced luxury tax line for the 2024-2025 season is $170 million, with a primary apron of $178 million and a secondary apron of $188 million. Denver is currently over the primary apron.
While there are no significant penalties for the first apron, there are strong penalties for the second apron. Once a team exceeds the secondary apron, they can only add new players through the draft and minimum salary contracts, and if they make a trade, the incoming player’s salary must be less than the outgoing player’s salary. If a team exceeds the secondary apron for two consecutive years, it is forced to move up to the 30th pick in the draft.
This means that once Denver exceeds the primary apron, they are unable to sign a high-salary player. As a result, the Nuggets lost key resource Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Orlando Magic on a guaranteed three-year deal. Denver could only hope that Caldwell-Pope would move on.
Westbrook, on the other hand, is the lowest-paid player on the roster. He wouldn’t cost more than the secondary apron. Westbrook is a completely different type of player than Caldwell-Pope, but he’s still a good addition to the roster. For Denver, it was a no-brainer.
From a basketball perspective, Westbrook is exactly what Denver needed.
Denver has Jokic, and their offense is strictly Jokic-centric. They do have Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. but they’re really more of a secondary to Jokic. Denver is absolutely dependent on Jokic in their offense.
Of course, Jokic is an overwhelmingly skilled player, and he’s one of the most dangerous players in the NBA. However, the Nuggets need to find other options when Jokic isn’t healthy. Denver’s playoff run in the 2023-2024 season showed that if Jokic struggled even a little bit, it quickly led to losses. Murray has largely taken over that role, but he’s been up and down. Not to mention Porter Jr.
The alternative is not Westbrook. Let’s face it, Westbrook isn’t good enough to lead an offense anymore. However, there is one thing about Jokic that is diametrically opposed to his style of basketball. In the 2023-2024 season, Denver’s pace of play was 96.8, 27th in the NBA. This means that Denver played a strictly Jokic-centric, ground-and-pound offense.
Westbrook is a fast-paced player to the extreme. When he’s on the floor, the tempo of the game picks up. In this sense, it’s hard to imagine Westbrook being a good match for Jokic. However, when Jokic is rested, Denver will be able to play a different style of basketball.
Outside of Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Porter Jr. and Christian Brown are all players who like to run the fast break and have a knack for it. The addition of Westbrook could give Denver a different color scheme.
The key is the playoffs. Denver is a playoff team, and they want to win. So does Westbrook.
Westbrook’s performance in the last playoffs was good. He came off the bench and changed the tone of the court, and he was surprisingly good on defense, especially shutting down opposing ace guards. This is where Denver’s void without Caldwell-Pope is most apparent. If Westbrook can take on the role of ace defender to some extent, it will be a big help.
Even if the Westbrook/Jokic combination proves to be a failure, it’s a gamble Denver has nothing to lose. If Westbrook fits in and performs well in Denver, it’s a windfall for the Nuggets.
Westbrook desperately wants a championship ring, and he’s joining a team that can challenge for one. He needs to prove to Denver that he’s still got it.