Report: Russell Westbrook signs 2-year, $6.8M deal with Denver Nuggets after buyout from Utah Jazz

After being traded off waivers by the Utah Jazz and traded to the Clippers, Russell Westbrook is officially a Denver Nugget.

On Friday, Westbrook agreed to rejoin the team after signing a two-year, $6.8 million contract, according to multiple sources. Westbrook was officially released by Utah on July 20.

The former MVP is officially parting ways with the Clippers after spending two years with the team, where he took on roles as a starter and in the rotation after coming off the bench. Westbrook also played two years with the Los Angeles Lakers, while spending a year with the Washington Wizards in 2020-21 and Houston Rockets in 2019-20.

He played the majority of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he was drafted by the then-Seattle Super Sonics in 2008, before the franchise moved to OKC that same year.

With the Thunder, Westbrook played in the 2012 NBA Finals, won the MVP award in the 2016–17 season and became the league’s all-time triple-double winner.

Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic who drafted Westbrook to join the team, currently sits fourth on the all-time triple-doubles list. In 2016-17, Westbrook became the first player to average a triple-double in two consecutive seasons.

With the Nuggets set to acquire Westbrook once he clears waivers, Denver is bringing in a veteran player and nine-time NBA All-Star who has made an impact on the league based on his athleticism and fierce play every night on the court, and who can also pass that knowledge on to other players.

For this year’s free agency, the Nuggets have traded Reggie Jackson to the Charlotte Hornetslost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope heads to free agency after guard signs three-year deal with Orlando Magic that’s worth $66 million, re-signed center DeAndre Jordan and plans to extend star player’s contract Jamal Murray which was reportedly worth four years, $209 million.