This Nuggets-Nets trade would mercifully end the Russell Westbrook era early

The Denver Nuggets made the ill-fated decision to bank on Russell Westbrook after a summer of inaction. Rather than re-signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and meaningfully upgrading a championship core, GM Calvin Booth decided to roll the dice on basketball's most volatile and controversial backup point guard while placing immense faith in unproven youth.

Christian Braun and Julian Strawther look pretty good, to Booth's credit, but the GM's propensity for cutting corners has cost Denver severely. The Nuggets' depth just does not stack up with other Western Conference contenders, which comes into sharp focus as Aaron Gordon is slated to miss an extended period.

The Russ experiment is the epitome of Booth's failure. While there were reports of Nikola Jokic campaigning for Westbrook behind the scenes, there was simply no excuse for Denver making Russ its signature signing in free agency. Westbrook hasn't been a positive-impact player in years. He has cachet to his name and there is a certain respect due to the former MVP, but it doesn't take perfect eyesight or an advanced mathematics degree to understand that Russ is one of the worst regular rotation players in the NBA right now.

Through seven games, Westbrook is averaging 10.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists on .288/.208/.711 splits in 24.3 minutes. He has even started a couple of games recently with Denver shorthanded. The Nuggets are trying their best to make Russ happen again, but it's a losing battle. It only ends one way.

It's time for Denver to start searching for upgrades. Look no further than the Brooklyn Nets.

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This Nuggets-Nets trade would replace Russell Westbrook with Dennis Schroder in Denver

Dennis Schroder has been on a heater to start the season in Brooklyn, averaging 19.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 7.3 assists on .505/.490/.857 splits. Those shooting numbers will fall back to earth eventually, but Schroder has proven his value over the years with slippery drives to the hoop and strong facilitating instincts.

The Nuggets need another source of viable rim pressure and on-ball creation, especially with Jamal Murray looking like a pale imitation of his former self. Russ can get to the rim, but he's often rollicking down the lane without much of a plan. The defense comfortably packs the paint, ignoring Russ whenever he moves off-ball. Schroder is a dependable 3-point shooter who demands constant focus from the defense, lest he use his speed to bolt into open space or get to the rim.

Schroder can back up Murray or join the starting lineup, depending on how Denver wants to configure things. The Russ believers in the front office can still get their necessary microdoses with Westbrook as a third-string, change-of-pace option. I'm not going to say there's no place for Westbrook's relentless intensity and still-electric athleticism, but he cannot be getting 20-30 minutes every night. The Nuggets should treat him as a bottle of energy for special, specific occasions — and that's precisely what trading for Schroder allows them to do.

The Nuggets need to jump through a few cap hoops to get this trade across the finish line, which includes sending out Dario Saric, Zeke Nnaji, and Jalen Pickett. The Nets cough up an intriguing young 7-footer in Day'Ron Sharpe, but receiving Denver's 2031 first-round pick is more than enough incentive. Jalen Pickett would get real point guard reps with a chance to grow in Brooklyn, while Saric and Nnaji are both half-decent rotation bigs (Saric more so than Nnaji).

This trade should address goals for both sides. Denver takes a nice step forward in the West, while Brooklyn restocks its assets cache for the future.