Russell Westbrook signed with the Sacramento Kings less than a week before the 2025-26 NBA season started. While most teams were reluctant to add the former MVP to their roster, the star point guard also took his time exploring the market after opting out of his contract with the Denver Nuggets.
A repeat may not happen heading into the upcoming season, as one of his former teams is reportedly showing interest in him early in the free agency period.
Russell Westbrook May Be Headed Back to Former Team, per NBA Insiders
Westbrook is no longer the perennial All-Star late into his career, but he remains a solid contributor in the right place. During the 2024-25 season with the Nuggets, he averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. He was good enough to earn nods for the Sixth Man of the Year award.
This past season, “Brodie” posted 15.2 points, 6.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in the Kings’ yet another underwhelming season. While Westbrook’s season almost went unnoticed after Sacramento stumbled to a 22-60 record, one of his former teams might have kept an eye on him.
NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported on “The Stein Line” on Monday that a team is potentially interested in Westbrook.
“Yet we’ve separately heard an interesting rumble about a pretty prominent Sacramento free agent.
“League sources tell The Stein Line that Washington has a level of interest in Russell Westbrook. The nine-time former All-Star’s final season of the four in his career in which he averaged a triple-double (22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 11.7 assists) came in 2020-21 with the Wizards,” Stein and Fischer wrote.
From the latest Stein Line drop: “League sources tell The Stein Line that Washington has a level interest in Russell Westbrook.”
Westbrook could potentially fill that gap as the backup one guard and provide great veteran leadership for guys like Bub and Riley. Also cheap.
— Bryson Akins (@BrysonAkinsNBA) June 30, 2026
The Wizards are projected to end a five-year playoff drought following their acquisition of Anthony Davis and Trae Young before the February trade deadline and by winning the 2026 NBA lottery. After adding the Davis-Young tandem, Washington made AJ Dybantsa the No. 1 pick of this year’s draft.
Washington’s roster also includes young talents Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George, and Bilal Coulibaly. The Wizards could use another veteran presence, likely on a minimum contract, to bolster the lineup.
The Wizards won’t ask Westbrook to carry the same burden he did for the team during the 2020-21 campaign, when he averaged 22.2 points and led the NBA in assists with 11.7. Westbrook also averaged 11.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals for one of the most impressive statistical seasons in the league.
Although no longer the franchise cornerstone, the nine-time All-Star is still expected to contribute to a team needing a spark off the bench. If he does return to Washington, the 37-year-old point guard could bring much-needed playmaking, experience, and energy.
