Russell Westbrook is still waiting for a team. The 36-year-old point guard, at the tail end of his legendary career, is seeking his seventh team since 2018. Undoubtedly, he’ll have his name up on the rafters for the Oklahoma City Thunder once it’s all said and done. Since his time there, he’s had several short stints in various locations around the league: the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, both teams in Los Angeles, and, most recently, the Denver Nuggets.
Reportedly, a reunion with the Nuggets has been ruled out; instead, another Western Conference team appears to be his most likely destination. Having spent almost the entirety of his career in the West. As ESPN reports indicate, it seems to be a California-based team hot on his radar.
Russell Westbrook Will Not Return To The Nuggets, Seeks Another Western Conference Team In Free Agency
According to ESPN’s NBA insider Tim McMahon, don’t expect a Westbrook reunion with the Thunder or a return with the Nuggets. He’s favored to join the Sacramento Kings and would likely fill a bench role for them.
“League sources consider the (Sacramento) Kings the most likely destination for Westbrook, who will turn 37 during the first month of the season. If that’s the case, Westbrook would likely come off the bench again and share ball-handling duties with free agency addition Dennis Schröder.”
The Sacramento Kings are favored to land Russell Westbrook, with a return to OKC or Denver considered unlikely, per @espn_macmahon
“League sources consider the Sacramento Kings the most likely destination for Westbrook, who will turn 37 during the first month of the season. If… pic.twitter.com/iaDjhcvLv9
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 11, 2025
What Role Can Westbrook Fill For The Kings?
Westbrook is somewhat of a confounding player in the latter years of his career. His swashbuckling, whirling dervish approach to the point guard position is not exactly what teams look for when running their offenses in the modern NBA, considering his low efficiency and high turnover numbers. He’s a notoriously poor shooter: a 30.5% perimeter shooter for his career, and a career low of just 22.2% shooting from 10-16 feet for the Nuggets this past year. His 3.2 turnovers to go with his six assists per game last year isn’t an ideal assist-to-turnover ratio either.
However, that isn’t to say that he cannot have a valuable role to play for a team, quite the contrary. Westbrook’s a remarkably consistent player in terms of production. He still finishes at the rim similarly effectively as he did in his prime years; it was 67.2% for Denver last season.
Per 36 minutes, Westbrook’s averages of 17.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 7.9 assists last season in Denver are still productive and not much of a drop-off from his recent seasons in LA. Finishing in the top 7 in the Sixth Man of the Year voting for Denver. He’s not the MVP-caliber player he was in OKC, but he’s still productive off the bench due to his athleticism.
Read More: Why Is Russell Westbrook Still a Free Agent? A Look at Why the Former NBA MVP Is Still Unsigned
The Kings seem like a good spot for him if he wants a larger role. They have a severe lack of depth at the point guard spot, with only Dennis Schröder as the only recognized point guard on the roster. Adding Westrbook as a sixth man brings a winning pedigree to a young roster and needed leadership. Westbrook still keeps himself in tremendous shape, so his preparation methods can rub off on the younger players.
He and Schröder should bring plenty of energy and offense to the role, sharing a backcourt with Zach LaVine. Although neither Schröder nor Westbrook is typically considered a pass-first guard, both seem more comfortable as a microwave scorer off the bench. A role Schröder excelled in for the Detroit Pistons last year. How will court spacing, rotations, and minutes distribution shake out for the Kings next year? It will be interesting to see how this all plays out if this move happens as rumored.
