Russell Westbrook has been traded for the fifth time in the last five years, and for the second time in the last 17 months, he was temporarily acquired by the Utah Jazz on Thursday.
Thanks to another contract buyout in the Beehive State though, the former MVP, again, won’t be suiting up for the Jazz.
After being selected by the now-defunct Seattle SuperSonics with the fourth overall pick in 2008, Westbrook spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Westbrook earned eight of his nine All-Star honors with the Thunder, won the 2016-17 MVP award, led the league in both assists and scoring twice and appeared in one NBA Finals.
Since being traded to the Houston Rockets on July 16, 2019, in a deal that included future Hall-of-Fame point guard Chris Paul, the UCLA product has played for four teams, and the Denver Nuggets would make it five.
Westbrook reunited with fellow former MVP guard James Harden in Houston but lasted just one season with the organization. Westbrook was sent to the Washington Wizards on December 2, 2020, for a package that included five-time All-Star point guard John Wall.
The NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles played just one year in the nation’s capital, leading the league in assists per game for a third time (career high 11.7). Westbrook was moved to the Los Angeles Lakers in a monster five-team blockbuster on August 6, 2021, and played with LeBron James for one-and-a-half seasons.
The 35-year-old’s most recent trade before Thursday saw him initially land with the Utah Jazz on February 9, 2023, before he was waived 11 days later before appearing in a game.
Westbrook signed with the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 22 to reunite with nine-time All-Star Paul George, and reconnected with Harden when he was traded to Los Angeles on November 1, 2023.
Considering his past in Utah, perhaps it’s best that Westbrook won’t have to call the Delta Center his home arena.
