Former NBA star Danny Green spent 15 years in the professional league, winning three championships with three different teams. The former shooting guard was a highly experienced player who understood the workings of the league well, whether it was the business or on-court strategies to win big games.
Green announced his retirement from professional basketball in October 2024Â and, since then, has appeared on various sports podcasts, shows, and gameday-related events to discuss different aspects of basketball.
In the latest episode of the ‘Inside the Green Room’ podcast, Green revealed the reason NBA superstar Russell Westbrook opted out of his player option with the Denver Nuggets and became a free agent ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season.
What Revelations Did Danny Green Make Regarding Russell Westbrook?
In the episode, Green said, “I thought he had something guaranteed or something already in the books. Like somebody is interested. For you to opt out from what I heard is that they weren’t planning on to play him at all this year, even behind certain guys that he should be above. I feel like Russ is more out of pocket of opting out of his contract and not having one in place already.”
He added, “You still take the guarantee, make them trade you, make him whatever, you take the guaranteed money unless you know for sure that you have somebody in place. Some people lie, some people take it back to say, and then they disappear in the market. So, we don’t have space. Everybody wants the Damian Lillard love, but not everybody is going to get it.”
Russell Westbrook reportedly opted out of his contract with the Nuggets because Denver had no plans to include him in the rotation and intended to keep him at the end of the bench, per @DGreen_14
“From what I heard is that they were not planning on to play him at all this year,… pic.twitter.com/4zSKYPZYJl
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 10, 2025
Westbrook joined the Nuggets during the 2024 offseason. He had a mediocre campaign with Denver, which saw them get eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals in seven competitive games. The 36-year-old is an NBA veteran now and is way past his prime days, when he won the MVP award in 2017 and received his ninth All-Star nod in 2020.
Recent years have been tough on the star point guard, who has spent 17 years in the NBA with six different teams. In May, Westbrook underwent surgery to repair multiple ligament tears in his right hand, which will further downplay his free agent stint in the market.
Green Explained Westbrook’s Situation by Drawing Parallels With Other Superstars
Green said, “Just accept the role of being on the bench and grooming young guys. If Russell can do that, he could definitely be on one of those teams. But most guys that are in that field, they have that ego.”
He added, “And now superstars are not able to take a backseat toward the end of their career. Saying, I’m willing not to play at all and just help these young guys grow. So, that’s why it’s tougher for him… So, these guys that are 35 and up, and if you are not Steph Curry, KD, and still playing at that All-Star level, it’s harder to hold on.”
Whether Westbrook’s gamble of opting for free agency works out in his favor remains to be seen. The veteran point guard has no suitors, and the new season is scheduled to kick off on October 21.
