Russell Westbrook announced his retirement from the NBA on Wednesday with a simple message on X. After 18 seasons, the veteran point guard chose to step away from basketball despite reported interest from the Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards.
While the NBA world praised Westbrook for leaving the league on his own terms, his agent wasn’t quite finished. Excel Sports Management used the moment to take a pointed shot at the league’s current salary-cap landscape and the NBPA.
NBA Booming While Older Vets Struggle? Russell Westbrook’s Agent Takes Aim at NBPA
Westbrook’s announcement came just hours after reports emerged that Los Angeles Lakers majority owner Mark Walter would sell his stake to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for a record $12.5 billion. Walter had purchased the Lakers last year for a then-record $10 billion.
Excel Sports Management posted a congratulatory message for the nine-time All-Star before adding that its founder and CEO, Jeff Schwartz, had something to say.
“Incredible, the Lakers sell for $12B, yet teams won’t spend on older vets because of current CBA rules. Thank you, Union,” the tweet read.
From our Founder & CEO, Jeff Schwartz:
“Incredible, the Lakers sell for $12B, yet teams won’t spend on older vets because of current CBA rules. Thank you, Union.”— excel basketball (@excelbasketball) August 12, 2026
The timing highlighted the contrast Schwartz was pointing to. The NBA continues to generate enormous business valuations, while some aging players face a shrinking market due to the league’s salary-cap restrictions.
The first and second aprons make it harder for NBA teams to sign veterans like Westbrook because they restrict how teams can spend, trade, and add players once payrolls get high.
The Wizards sit below the luxury-tax line and the first apron, which made their reported interest in Westbrook unsurprising. Sacramento, meanwhile, is hard-capped at the first apron but reportedly valued the veteran point guard’s presence and was willing to re-sign him.
New York Knicks owner James Dolan also made clear in June the impact of the aprons on roster construction. Speaking on WFAN radio, Dolan said, “There’s certain things in the NBA that you’d have to be suicidal to do. One of them is the second apron.”
For Schwartz, the restrictions have reduced opportunities for veterans such as Westbrook because teams are increasingly focused on preserving roster flexibility and avoiding additional salary-cap complications.
The agent’s criticism came after the NBPA acknowledged concerns about the second apron. Executive director David Kelly said last month that the provision should be “softened” or scrapped.
“We did not propose the second apron. We should have done a better job of fighting back against the second apron,” Kelly said via ESPN. “In the future, we will have a much more unified union, and we will do a better job of fighting back. … We’re seeing [the apron system] decimate teams and force decisions to be made that are not basketball decisions.”
Westbrook’s retirement now adds another layer to the conversation. Whether the apron system directly or indirectly influenced his decision is impossible to know. However, his agent’s message has put the league’s salary rules back in the spotlight as one of its biggest stars walks away.
