Sacramento Kings’ latest recruit, Russell Westbrook, ended his short but exciting free agency saga after signing with the team ahead of the start of the 2025-26 NBA season. After declining his player option with the Nuggets during the offseason, Westbrook became a free agent as he had no prior ongoing talks with other teams.
While the nine-time All-Star point guard received multiple offers from overseas, especially the CBA, he refused to entertain them because Westbrook wanted to continue playing in the NBA. Westbrook’s trust in his talents and skill set paid off as the Kings approached, and the two camps quickly worked up a lucrative deal for the upcoming campaign.
Russell Westbrook’s New Jersey No. With the Kings Revealed
Westbrook’s new jersey number with the Kings was revealed in a viral post. Later, the franchise’s official social media account shared some videos of contract signings with the 2017 league MVP, who also confirmed his jersey number as 18.
𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞 🤝 👑 pic.twitter.com/n1rIwhCLjz
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) October 17, 2025
This will be the 36-year-old point guard’s 18th straight season in the NBA, and the Kings will be his seventh different team that he plays with in the league. Over the year, Westbrook has made countless mesmerizing plays that have awed the crowd.
He has been named to the All-NBA First team twice and to the All-NBA second team five times in his illustrious career. The only thing missing from the former scoring champion and assists leader’s resume is an NBA championship. A healthy Kings roster this year can spur up some magic in the Western Conference and play as the most favored underdogs.
With Westbrook, the Kings Could Lineup an Incredible Starting Five
This offseason, the Kings not only worked on their short game by recruiting some noteworthy seasoned players to their squad, but also focused on roster depth.
In the last two decades, they have only reached the playoffs once, during the 2022-23 season, when Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox teamed up to rack up wins for the Kings.
Despite losing in the first round to the Warriors, it seemed like the franchise was on the rise. But that wasn’t the case, as they fell back down again in the last two seasons and parted ways with Fox during the February trade deadline.
📌 Sacramento Kings full roaster looks fine:
— Russell Westbrook
— Zach LaVine
— DeMar DeRozan
— Domantas Sabonis
— Malik Monk
— Dennis Schroder
— Keon Ellis
— Nique Clifford
— Doug McDermott
— Drew Eubanks— Tripla Doppia Magazine (@TriplaDoppia) October 17, 2025
General manager Scott Perry knew he had to revamp the squad so that they could become a challenging force in the West. Perry delivered on all fronts, as the Kings now have a solid group of players and a potential starting five that looks fiery on paper.
A healthy Kings roster could lineup with DeMar DeRozan, Westbrook, Dennis Schröder, Sabonis, and Zach LaVine, putting the rest of the league on notice.
