It's Sept. 5, and former Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook is still on the market as a free agent. Six years have passed since Sam Presti traded the guard to Houston. Since then, Westbrook has played for the Rockets, Wizards, Lakers, Clippers, and the Nuggets.
Westbrook declined his $3.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season at the start of the offseason. He could've picked it up to stay with Denver, a team that reloaded its roster this summer in hopes of dethroning Oklahoma City. Instead, Westbrook's NBA future is up in the air.
His time with the Nuggets was a rollercoaster, but he was a spark of energy that Denver needed off the bench — apparently, not enough for a team to sign him before now.
That doesn't mean that he hasn't received interest from any teams. NBA insider Jake Fischer said two weeks ago that Westbrook will most likely either sign with the Kings or begin the season without signing with a team. Fischer noted that Sacramento is still "the home" he's heard for Westbrook, "if he's gonna be in the NBA at all, honestly."
The Kings are one of the teams that have expressed interest in Jonathan Kuminga, who is still awaiting a resolution to his restricted free agency saga. How the rest of the offseason shakes out for Sacramento will determine what happens with Westbrook.
Westbrook is still waiting to sign with his next team as a free agent
There was some far-fetched chatter at the beginning of the offseason about the Thunder reuniting with Westbrook, giving him a chance to win a title with the franchise his career began with and where he won MVP. It was nothing more than a temporary feel-good story, as OKC had no reason to sign Westbrook, and that's said with respect for all he did for the city and organization.
His best (and maybe last) chance to win a title might've already happened with the Nuggets, as they were one win away from advancing to the conference finals a few months ago, but some other team eliminated them.
Westbrook certainly won't contend for a championship if he signs with Sacramento, but maybe that isn't something he cares that much about. He seems content having fun playing basketball, and returning to California would allow him to be closer to his family, the most important thing to him.
Whatever happens, hopefully, Westbrook gets another chance to compete in the NBA. He deserves that much. If that doesn't happen, and he retires (whenever that may be), maybe his career will officially end with OKC.