After being sent to the Utah Jazz as part of a sign-and-trade deal, Russell Westbrook‘s buyout by the Denver Nuggets seems imminent. This move will finally fulfill the long-term desire of 3x MVP and lead scorer Nikola Jokić. But will the move help the Nuggets challenge for the championship next season? Westbrook’s former teammate thinks the 35-year-old’s presence alone may not be enough to meet the Nuggets’ competitive needs.

In a segment on ESPN’s SportsCenter on 19 July, former NBA player Kendrick Perkins, who spent over four years with Westbrook at the Oklahoma City Thunder, shared his thoughts. He expressed confidence in Westbrook, claiming that playing alongside Nikola Jokic and under head coach Michael Malone might give him the success he desires, as he chases a first NBA ring. But Perkins warned that this acquisition is just a small step for the Nuggets in retaining the #1 spot.

“You got to remember, they’re in the powerful Western Conference right now. That still doesn’t put them ahead of, you know, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Dallas Mavericks, I would even give a slight nod to be honest to the Los Angeles Lakers” said Perkins.

Nuggets finished second in the Western Conference last season. Although they did manage to clinch a sixth straight playoff berth, they were beaten by the Wolves 4-3 in the Conference semifinals. Compared to the Eastern Conference, the West is laden with teams who can potentially go all the way. Last year, the Mavericks reached the NBA Finals before falling to eventual champions the Boston Celtics, the Nuggets will also be wary of the Wolves having been bloodied by them last time and then there is the Lakers, who could throw up a surprise.

Meanwhile, Jokic is keen to tie up with Westbrook and is looking to ensure the move goes through. On July 1, Harrison Wind of the DNVR reported, “Jokic has actually been pushing behind the scenes to get Westbrook to Denver. I’ve been told that Nikola Jokic wants Westbrook in Denver, he wants to play with him. It’s not the first time he has wanted to play with him.”

Westbrook will bring experience and could make an impact coming off the bench. The player has thrived in the role as seen for the LA Clippers last season. Despite being a former MVP, and nine-time All-Star he is happy to take a backseat and do what the team needs. Coming into a squad that has championship-winning experience, could also mean there won’t be much pressure on him.

He will also provide much-needed impetus to the Nuggets, who lost their two key rotation players, Bruce Brown and Jeff Green after winning the title. Westbrook can fill that void for the franchise.

Still, according to Perkins, the final piece of jigsaw for the Nuggets remains. He said, “I think they still got to find, fill that void of losing KCP (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope). He was so valuable to what he brought to the table for them on both ends of the floor, being able to be a knockdown shooter on one end, a lockdown defender on the other. They have to replace him before I could get them to be serious in the Western Conference.”

In his two years with the Denver Nuggets, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope complemented Jokic and Jamal Murray offensively and defensively. His 41.5% shooting from beyond the arc and 85.7% free throw rate significantly contributed to securing the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2023 and reaching the Conference Semi-Finals recently.

Despite his value, the Denver Nuggets could not meet Caldwell-Pope’s extension demands. As his contract ended, Caldwell-Pope declined the $15.4 million player option to test the open market. With the franchise set to pay over $193 million to its 16 players next season, exceeding this amount would have incurred severe tax penalties under the new CBA guidelines. Consequently, the Orlando Magic signed him for a 3-year, $66 million contract earlier this month. While this saves the Nuggets some capital, it might hurt their title prospects.

Yet, GM Calvin Booth was defiant when the talk of Caldwell-Pope’s exit surfaced in June.

Calvin Booth was not too concerned about Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s exit

Going into the free agency, the Denver Nuggets had already started to prepare themselves for a future without the 31-year-old shooting guard. In a statement to The Denver Post back in late June, Denver Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth stated the franchise could rely upon 23-year-old Christian Braun in light of a potential Caldwell-Pope exit.

While the young star’s 0.7 net rating was quite low when compared to Caldwell-Pope’s 11.3, it is important to note that Braun played primarily with bench lineups during the recent tournament. This makes him ready to join the main lineup alongside Nikola Jokic and co.

“So we can try to bring him back, and if he doesn’t want to come back or opts to go somewhere else, that’s his prerogative. So, we’ll have to work with that. But I think we’re prepared to plug and play, so to speak,” said Booth. “I think (for) Christian Braun, it’s all going to come down to one thing. To be a shooting guard in the NBA, you’ve got to be able to make shots. It’s the bottom line.”

Braun is bigger and more athletic than Caldwell-Pope and a tough, competitive player. But one thing he lacks is the shooting ability of Caldwell-Pope. On the other hand, the Nuggets could show faith in 22-year-old Julian Strawther who is a better shooter but isn’t that great defensively.

Fortunately for the Nuggets, Westbrook’s inclusion can help them bridge some gaps, but as Perkins pointed out, they will have to improve their roster if they are to challenge for the championship again.