Every OKC Thunder fan dreams of seeing Russell Westbrook one day returning to the Sooner State and riding off into the sunset of his playing career with that long-coveted NBA Championship ring.
Unfortunately, Carmelo Anthony is urging the fanbase to pump the brakes on believing these hopes will wind up becoming a reality.
During a recent episode of 7PM in Brooklyn, the recent Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and one-time Thunder spoke about Westbrook's ongoing residency on the free agency market, vocalizing his frustration over the league's lack of interest in his former teammate by saying, "there's a lot of teams that Russ could help right f*cking now."
Unfortunately, when it came to the concept of him making his way back to Oklahoma City and giving everyone that storybook ending they so desperately wish to see, Anthony was adamant about how such a move would make little to no sense for the nine-time All-Star.
Carmelo Anthony against Russell Westbrook returning to Thunder
It's an inarguable take that the Thunder, as currently constructed, are the deepest and most well-rounded team the association has to offer.
Add on the fact that they are running things back with a roster that took up 99.2 percent of the minutes logged during their championship run just last season, and there's a strong case to be made that not only do they not need another player to join their talent pool, but considering all 15 roster spots are already accounted for, they don't have any room for one.
Of course, even if a seat at the back of the bench were to magically be opened, with their battle-tested rotation already set, the odds of Westbrook seeing any semblance of on-court action would be close to zero.
In Melo's eyes, such a reality should be a nonstarter for The Brodie.
"You cannot bring Russell Westbrook back to OKC and don't play him," Anthony said. "He cannot go from the greatest player in your franchise history to maybe playing or maybe not playing. It doesn't work. You diminish that man's legacy by that."
Regardless of how one feels about Anthony's take, the fact of the matter is, even at this stage in his career, Westbrook is still a player who deserves to see consistent time on the hardwood.
After all, he finds himself coming off a 2024-25 season where he dropped per-game averages of 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals and finished as a top-eight finalist in the Sixth Man of the Year race while suiting up for the 50-win Denver Nuggets.
While some may be fine seeing Russ ride the bench while donning the blue, orange, and yellow threads once more, Melo certainly doesn't seem to think Westbrook would be.
Unless he and Sam Presti make his return to the Thunder "celebratory," the most realistic Oklahoma City-related reunion involving the former MVP seems to be one that would reside outside of Oklahoma City.