At last, the 27.3% shooting slump beyond the arc from the 35-year-old Clippers PG Russell Westbrook got him traded from the team after spending the last one and a half seasons with Lob City. As per ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski’s report, the Clippers have signed guard Kris Dunn from Utah Jazz in a sign-and-trade agreement, giving away a second-round pick swap, along with cash and their point guard Russell Westbrook. However, the Nuggets star Nikola Jokic’s efforts behind the curtains might come to reality with this trade.

Earlier this month, on July 1, Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports revealed on the DNVR Denver Nuggets Podcast, “I’ve been told that Nikola Jokić actually has been pushing behind the scenes to get Westbrook to Denver.” However, Westbrook does not possess the same kind of caliber and spark he had in his prime. Yet as per Harrison, Joker “wants to play with” the Clippers point guard. Interestingly, Westbrook is again in Utah right now, the destination he got on February 9 last year when Rob Pelinka traded him for D’Angelo Russell. But Woj recently reported that Jazz might sign a contract buyout with Westbrook to pave his way to the Denver Nuggets.

Also, it can be a curious case for the NBA community why Jokic is interested in Utah PG since Westbrook only scored 12.2 points and 5.0 rebounds over his 89 regular appearances with the Clippers squad. Well, the answer might be in the depth chart of the Nuggets. Most probably, Joker wants Westbrook to add during the transition period when he is on the bench cooling himself down. Having a vet ball handler like Westbrook will definitely give the edge to the Nuggets, even if he does not bounce back from his slump.

Why did the Clippers front office skip Russell Westbrook for Kris Dunn?

Russell Westbrook’s performance that he showcased at the OKC is not anymore applicable to the veteran anymore. He had his era in the 2016-17 season, where he averaged 31.1 points in the whole season. However, as seasons passed, his performance degraded, leading to only 15.8 and 11.1 points in the last two seasons, respectively. Due to the lack of any prominent growth, the Clippers went for young guard Kris Dunn.

He just averaged 5.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists last season with the Jazz. However, he played only 18.9 minutes on the court for only 66 games, which is less in comparison to the time on the court that Westbrook spent. Also, Dunn is only 30-year-old so he has a hope for improvement. That’s why, instead of resigning Westbrook, the Clippers got Dunn for a three-year $17 million deal.

Whatever might be the other motives from the Clippers side, Russell Westbrook has again been subjected to a manipulated entrance into a team. Now, he is only awaiting his way into the Nuggets to join the Serbian star. Will he impact the roster as Joker has expected him to be? Comment down your thoughts.