Jazz trade Kris Dunn to Clippers, get Westbrook's contract, planning to waive. Get 2030/31 second round pick swap.

[HadAnEffectHere]

Dunn got 3/17.

... Have to say, this is a pretty horrible return, lol. The option... to swap... second round picks... Six or seven years from now?

It's currently only reported as a "second round pick swap" but the Clippers have traded away all their seconds from 2025 to 2029 so it has to be 2030 at the earliest.

[BigJimFinn]

So how do people feel about the return of Jazz legend Russell Westbrook?
Related, has any player before been traded for and waived twice by the same team?

[SoCalJazzFan]

Given the delay, I was thinking that perhaps PJ Tucker would have been involved for JC and perhaps a 3rd team/other players and a better pick.

The Jazz probably received enough cash to pay Westbrook's contract and got a 2nd pick swap for really nothing (other than losing a bit of cap space, which is no big deal this year) as Dunn was going to the Clips regardless.

[Fido]

Its a pretty big meh, getting something for nothing. Jazz basically get cash to help cover the salary on Westbrook, get a 2nd pick swap, and help Kris Dunn get more years out of Clippers than he would have as a signee. The Jazz weren't going to hang onto Dunn anyhow.

[Denizfeital]

So how do people feel about the return of Jazz legend Russell Westbrook?
Related, has any player before been traded for and waived twice by the same team?

I think this is hilarious. I posted in the other thread because I didn't see your post before!

[Inigo Montoya]

Happy for Dunn that he got paid and went to a competitive team.

Why the Jazz did it:

1. No reason not to.
2. The Clippers covered the cost of the buyout.
3. Jazz do right by Dunn.
4. Fostering positive working relations with the Clippers front office.
5. They get to buy out Westbrook for the second time in two seasons which is just funny.

What the Jazz get out of it:

Clippers Send Balsa Koprivica, 2030 Second-Round Pick Swap, $4.3M To Jazz As Part Of Kris Dunn Trade
https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/276764/Clippers-Send-Balsa-Koprivica-2030-Second-Round-Pick-Swap-$43M-To-Jazz-As-Part-Of-Kris-Dunn-Trade

The Jazz were not going to pay Dunn anyway and he's not that valuable of a trade asset especially given his contract situation.

As for Westbrook, and I'm saying this as a fan, I don't think he fits with the Nuggets. Frankly, since no one other than Jokic and Murray was able to score against the Wolves, what they really need is more shooting and scoring. They actually need a guy like... Jordan Clarkson.

[BigJimFinn]

As for Westbrook, and I'm saying this as a fan, I don't think he fits with the Nuggets. Frankly, since no one other than Jokic and Murray was able to score against the Wolves, what they really need is more shooting and scoring. They actually need a guy like... Jordan Clarkson.

Nice head fake at the end, unfortunately I don't believe Denver or any contender will buy it and jump after him.
The prime Jordan Clarkson was a helpful microwave scorer off the bench, the current hopelessly inefficient version is only useful as a tank commander providing some excitement with circus shots, almost-turnovers and fast break dunks for the opponent.
His playstyle and attitude embodies everything I hate about badly played basketball. Other than that, I hope him all the best on some other team as far from Lauri as possible.

Westbrook on the other hand has also provided a lot of dumb play in his career, but it seems he now has some level of awareness and humility to accept a support role on a good team. Getting waived by Utah twice should make anyone humble...
He has the physical and technical tools to replicate Bruce Brown's role on the Nuggets, if he can adapt to moving the ball quickly and then keep moving off the ball. He can certainly help them bringing the ball up and especially running the second unit during RS. I don't see any better vet min options available for them at the moment.

[Inigo Montoya]

As for Westbrook, and I'm saying this as a fan, I don't think he fits with the Nuggets. Frankly, since no one other than Jokic and Murray was able to score against the Wolves, what they really need is more shooting and scoring. They actually need a guy like... Jordan Clarkson.

Nice head fake at the end, unfortunately I don't believe Denver or any contender will buy it and jump after him.
The prime Jordan Clarkson was a helpful microwave scorer off the bench, the current hopelessly inefficient version is only useful as a tank commander providing some excitement with circus shots, almost-turnovers and fast break dunks for the opponent.
His playstyle and attitude embodies everything I hate about badly played basketball. Other than that, I hope him all the best on some other team as far from Lauri as possible.

Westbrook on the other hand has also provided a lot of dumb play in his career, but it seems he now has some level of awareness and humility to accept a support role on a good team. Getting waived by Utah twice should make anyone humble...
He has the physical and technical tools to replicate Bruce Brown's role on the Nuggets, if he can adapt to moving the ball quickly and then keep moving off the ball. He can certainly help them bringing the ball up and especially running the second unit during RS. I don't see any better vet min options available for them at the moment.

The Nuggets weren't terribly efficient against the Wolves. That series went to 7 games and the Nuggets averaged 45.2%FG and 35.3%3PT, while averaging 97.6 points per game. If Clarkson played for them and was inefficient then he'd just be another player who was inefficient on the Nuggets, he wouldn't stand out. But since no one was able to create offense for the Nuggets other than Jokic and Murray, his skills were badly needed. It's enough for him to catch fire in one game and the Nuggets win the series.

The thing with Westbrook is that he's even more inefficient than Clarkson and has always been a poor 3pt shooter. And since the entire Nuggets offense revolves around Jokic's passing, the ability to hit 3s is a must. And when the offenses grind to a crawl in the post season and the paint is clogged (especially against a team like the Wolves) his limitations become even more pronounced. I always liked him, his game and his mentality, but just like with the Lakers, it's just a bad fit. He needs to play for a team with good shooting, spacing, who plays at a high pace. Indiana would be a good fit, maybe Sacramento or even Phoenix who desperately need a PG.

[HadAnEffectHere]

Jordan Clarkson was one of the worst players in the NBA last year and makes too much money for the Nuggets to acquire. Westbrook is on a minimum.

[BigJimFinn]

As for Westbrook, and I'm saying this as a fan, I don't think he fits with the Nuggets. Frankly, since no one other than Jokic and Murray was able to score against the Wolves, what they really need is more shooting and scoring. They actually need a guy like... Jordan Clarkson.

Nice head fake at the end, unfortunately I don't believe Denver or any contender will buy it and jump after him.
The prime Jordan Clarkson was a helpful microwave scorer off the bench, the current hopelessly inefficient version is only useful as a tank commander providing some excitement with circus shots, almost-turnovers and fast break dunks for the opponent.
His playstyle and attitude embodies everything I hate about badly played basketball. Other than that, I hope him all the best on some other team as far from Lauri as possible.

Westbrook on the other hand has also provided a lot of dumb play in his career, but it seems he now has some level of awareness and humility to accept a support role on a good team. Getting waived by Utah twice should make anyone humble...
He has the physical and technical tools to replicate Bruce Brown's role on the Nuggets, if he can adapt to moving the ball quickly and then keep moving off the ball. He can certainly help them bringing the ball up and especially running the second unit during RS. I don't see any better vet min options available for them at the moment.

The Nuggets weren't terribly efficient against the Wolves. That series went to 7 games and the Nuggets averaged 45.2%FG and 35.3%3PT, while averaging 97.6 points per game. If Clarkson played for them and was inefficient then he'd just be another player who was inefficient on the Nuggets, he wouldn't stand out. But since no one was able to create offense for the Nuggets other than Jokic and Murray, his skills were badly needed. It's enough for him to catch fire in one game and the Nuggets win the series.

The thing with Westbrook is that he's even more inefficient than Clarkson and has always been a poor 3pt shooter. And since the entire Nuggets offense revolves around Jokic's passing, the ability to hit 3s is a must. And when the offenses grind to a crawl in the post season and the paint is clogged (especially against a team like the Wolves) his limitations become even more pronounced. I always liked him, his game and his mentality, but just like with the Lakers, it's just a bad fit. He need to play for a team with good shooting, spacing, who plays at a high pace. Indiana would be a good fit, maybe Sacramento or even Phoenix who desperately need a PG.

OK, we seem to be prioritizing different abilities. I think both are unlikely to be effective in the playoffs or playing with the starters, as they have never been any good off the ball. Their main value would be the ability to create shots and points when Joker and Murray are off during the regular season, allowing them to rest the main guys more and possibly help them finish a seed or two higher. I think Nuggets had a bigger weakness in shot creation than just shooting, and while Clarkson has more potential to be at least average spot-up shooter from Jokic' passes, Westbrook is still much better at going to the rim and creating shots for others. Russ should also be a much more effective cutter and offensive rebounder from the corner. The real difference as potential playoff rotation guys is defense, where Clarkson is completely useless while Russ can be OK when focused.
The final and decisive difference is wage, Clarkson getting 10M more means Denver would have to give up more than one player, so unless Jazz would take Nnaji and a rookie with some picks, and Nuggets don't have much left to trade, JC can't get there.

[Inigo Montoya]

OK, we seem to be prioritizing different abilities. I think both are unlikely to be effective in the playoffs or playing with the starters, as they have never been any good off the ball. Their main value would be the ability to create shots and points when Joker and Murray are off during the regular season, allowing them to rest the main guys more and possibly help them finish a seed or two higher. I think Nuggets had a bigger weakness in shot creation than just shooting, and while Clarkson has more potential to be at least average spot-up shooter from Jokic' passes, Westbrook is still much better at going to the rim and creating shots for others. Russ should also be a much more effective cutter and offensive rebounder from the corner. The real difference as potential playoff rotation guys is defense, where Clarkson is completely useless while Russ can be OK when focused.
The final and decisive difference is wage, Clarkson getting 10M more means Denver would have to give up more than one player, so unless Jazz would take Nnaji and a rookie with some picks, and Nuggets don't have much left to trade, JC can't get there.

I agree with most of this but with the Nuggets, I wasn't envisioning Clarkson as a starter but as a 6th man, which is the role he's best suited for. In that role, he could also provide shot creation from his 1-1 ability. When he's playing with the starters he'd mostly defer to Jokic and Murray but when they struggle he could try and create something himself, which is what they sorely lacked vs the Wolves. I agree that in terms of a trade, the Nuggets are not an ideal partner.

[HadAnEffectHere]

OK, we seem to be prioritizing different abilities. I think both are unlikely to be effective in the playoffs or playing with the starters, as they have never been any good off the ball. Their main value would be the ability to create shots and points when Joker and Murray are off during the regular season, allowing them to rest the main guys more and possibly help them finish a seed or two higher. I think Nuggets had a bigger weakness in shot creation than just shooting, and while Clarkson has more potential to be at least average spot-up shooter from Jokic' passes, Westbrook is still much better at going to the rim and creating shots for others. Russ should also be a much more effective cutter and offensive rebounder from the corner. The real difference as potential playoff rotation guys is defense, where Clarkson is completely useless while Russ can be OK when focused.
The final and decisive difference is wage, Clarkson getting 10M more means Denver would have to give up more than one player, so unless Jazz would take Nnaji and a rookie with some picks, and Nuggets don't have much left to trade, JC can't get there.

I agree with most of this but with the Nuggets, I wasn't envisioning Clarkson as a starter but as a 6th man, which is the role he's best suited for. In that role, he could also provide shot creation from his 1-1 ability. When he's playing with the starters he'd mostly defer to Jokic and Murray but when they struggle he could try and create something himself, which is what they sorely lacked vs the Wolves. I agree that in terms of a trade, the Nuggets are not an ideal partner.

Jordan Clarkson was the third worst player in the entire NBA last year going by BPM.

The only reason he's still on the roster is because he's untradeable.

[SoCalJazzFan]

Notwithstanding a horrid year last year, I also believe that Jordan Clarkson has value to playoff teams, even if he is an overall negative player. The Suns absolutely needed someone like him in their failed title run a few years back when no one outside of Booker could score in their game 7 elimination. At less than $15M/yr, you play him off the bench as a microwave scorer when he is having a good night, or when your offense just isn't clicking or getting locked down as he is pretty unique in his ability to score.