Russell Westbrook has been the talk of the town since he declined his player option with the Denver Nuggets and became a free agent. However, there has been little interest from any top-tier teams in the league in signing the former MVP, jeopardizing his future in the NBA.
Senior NBA correspondent Marc Stein had an efficient outlook on the Westbrook situation. Like Stein, many other analysts and former NBA athletes believe Russ shouldn’t have been hasty in declining his player option for the upcoming campaign with the Nuggets before having anything solid and ascertained elsewhere.
What Did Marc Stein Say About Russell Westbrook’s Situation?
In his latest article, Stein mentioned that Westbrook is not inclined towards playing overseas despite mammoth offers from China and wants to continue playing in the NBA. He wrote, “There has been ‘zero discussion’ to date about him weighing interest to play abroad this season, league sources say.”
He added, “He’d naturally generate a slew of overseas offers if he were open to them, but I’m told that securing his next NBA opportunity has been the focus for Westbrook’s camp. Even if that means, as it increasingly appears, options fail to materialize until after the 2025-26 regular season starts on Oct. 21.”
Russell Westbrook currently has zero interest in playing overseas, as his main focus is to play in the NBA, per @TheSteinLine
“There has been ‘zero discussion’ to date about him weighing interest to play abroad this season, league sources say. He’d naturally generate a slew of… pic.twitter.com/nXs2GuYGFb
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 13, 2025
According to some sources close to the Nuggets and Westbrook camp, Denver had no plans to give the nine-time All-Star much game time in the upcoming season, let alone start him regularly.
Talks were initiated between both sides, but it was an apparent stalemate, which led to Russ immediately opting out of his player option even before he could have something reliable elsewhere.
While the former Thunder star is in a difficult situation, some of the game’s legends have sided with Westbrook, stating that he is an incredible player and should continue playing in the league.
What Did Oscar Robertson and Allen Iverson Say About Westbrook?
In the latest episode of All the Smoke podcast, league legend Oscar Robertson voiced his angst towards the league for mistreating Westbrook, saying, “It’s unfortunate that they’re doing some of these things to him. The guy is very valuable to any team he’s with. But somehow they want to blame somebody. Why blame him?”
On the “Stephen A. Smith Show”, 76ers legend Allen Iverson praised Westbrook, saying, “Russ went hard. Russ plays every game like it’s his last, you can tell. The energy level is always the same… Everything is full effort. That’s not taking away from anybody else.”
As the new season nears, the Westbrook free agency saga will be the most discussed and highlighted topic until the 2017 MVP finds a new team to call home for the 2025-26 NBA campaign.
