Russell Westbrook’s free agency is ongoing. Meanwhile, most of the NBA seems to have moved on for the time being.
In less than two weeks, the NBA’s regular season will be underway, and Westbrook might not be on an opening night roster for the first time in over a decade. Part of that is his decision.
When Westbrook signed with the Denver Nuggets last offseason, the second season included a player option. When it came time to make a decision, Westbrook chose to hit the open market again, as he declined Denver’s second-year offering.
The former NBA veteran Danny Green was shocked, as he thought there was already a next move in play for Westbrook.
Russell wasn’t going to get ANY minutes on the Nuggets!?@DGreen_14 explains the position veterans have in today’s game. @HarrisonSanford @FDSportsbook pic.twitter.com/YDtZLCegBG
— Inside The Green Room (@GreenRoomInside) October 9, 2025
“I thought he had something guaranteed or something already in the books, like somebody is interested,” Green said recently on his podcast. “For you to opt out, from what I heard, they were not planning on playing him at all this year. Even behind certain guys that he should be above.”
Green felt that Westbrook played his hand wrong. He had over $3 million guaranteed on the table, and now he might not get another contract for the 2025-2026 season. While Green understands Westbrook’s thinking after hearing he probably wouldn’t have had a role on the Nuggets, he still encourages players to take the guarantees and figure out the rest later when the future is hazy.
“You still take the guarantee, make them trade you, whatever,” Green said. “You take the guaranteed money unless you know for sure that you have somebody in place.”
Throughout the offseason, Westbrook was linked to multiple teams, with the Sacramento Kings being the strongest suitor. Recently, ESPN’s Shams Charania offered an update on that potential pairing.
May 7, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook (4) reacts after a play and falling into fans in the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game two of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
via Shams Charania: “I’m told there is strong mutual interest between Russell Westbrook and the Sacramento Kings. And the Kings have a need for a reserve point guard. They were 29th in bench points, 29th in bench assists last season.
“Russell Westbrook helps with that, and he’s got relationships across that organization: Domantas Sabonis, he’s close with, played with him. He played with Dennis Schroeder as well, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine. They have LA ties as well. BJ Armstrong, the new assistant general manager there. He knows BJ Armstrong from the agency side, and he does have respect with Scott Perry, their new general manager, and Doug Christie, their new head coach. We’ll see if a deal gets done before the start of the season or during this upcoming year.”
At this stage, the Kings are in a market of one, which explains their lack of urgency in getting a deal done with Westbrook.
The role is important to Westbrook, who proved during his lone season in Denver that he could still be productive in a reserve situation. It seems he felt comfortable with taking the gamble on the financial side, probably due to the fact that he made well over $300 million in NBA contracts throughout his career.
Green’s message is important to players who haven’t accomplished as much on the financial side. Without a next move in mind, take the guarantee and let the team figure the rest out.
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