With the recent reunions of Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers and Chris Paul with the Clippers, many are now wondering when it will be the OKC Thunder who find themselves partaking in such a storybook rekindling with one of their beloved former cornerstones.
What makes this concept particularly pertinent is that Russell Westbrook, the dream target for such a homecoming, is now fully available on the free agent market following his one-year stint in Denver.
Of course, considering the fact that they already have all 15 roster spots locked in for this coming campaign, as things currently stand, the point guard's return to the Sooner State seems appunlikely -- at least, as far as the immediate future is concerned.
That said, this doesn't mean Westbrook still can't have a personal reunion of his own, even one that links directly back to his playing days with the Thunder.
In fact, based on recent reports, such a scenario seems rather likely to happen.
Russell Westbrook could reunite with ex-Thunder teammates with Kings
According to a recent report by Matt George of ABC 10, the Sacramento Kings and Westbrook have a "mutual interest" in one another, and are merely waiting for the franchise to find a new home for either Malik Monk or Devin Carter before officially agreeing to terms on a deal.
Currently, the Kings have three players in Domantas Sabonis, Dennis Schroder, and Doug McDermott, who already have experience serving as the guard's running mate thanks to their respective tenures with the Thunder. Additionally, four players in total have played for the franchise in the past, when you include Dario Saric.
The addition of Westbrook to this Kings rotation would be nice to see from the standpoint of ex-Thunder players coming together, especially on a team that doesn't project to be anywhere close to a threat to OKC's repeat aspirations, and could also be quite beneficial for the former All-Star as he strives to prove that he's still capable of contributing in a substantial role within a rotation.
While coming off the pine last season with the Nuggets, Westbrook posted solid per-game averages of 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals while finishing seventh in the Sixth Man of the Year race.
With Jamal Murray already at the helm, it was obvious that the future Hall of Famer was never viewed as a legitimate option to have serving as Denver's starting point guard outside of when filling in for injuries.
In Sacramento, however, there's a legitimate chance that he could once again be a regular within the first-five lineup, for, while they may have a ton of guards already in tow, Schroder is the only one who should be viewed as a natural one and, at this point, there's still a strong case to be made that Westbrook is the superior player between the two.
Through 36 appearances slotted into the starting lineup with Denver last year, the 36-year-old averaged 15.3 points, 7.0 assists, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.7 steals on 50.4 percent shooting from the field.
In many ways, Westbrook joining the Kings for the 2025-26 season could prove to be a great move for him, as it not only could give him his best chance of serving as a primary floor general again, but it would also surround him with a number of familiar faces from his glory days with the Thunder.