Exactly one week from now, the 2025–26 NBA season will start. It is the NBA’s 80th season, and it’s looking like one of its greatest players ever—Russell Westbrook—won’t be on any team during tip-off. That’s because Russ, as of press time, remains unsigned and is still looking for a franchise to take a chance on him.
Westbrook became an unrestricted free agent during the offseason after he opted out of his $3.4 million player option with the Denver Nuggets, perhaps under the belief that another team—or maybe even the Nuggets—would sign him to a bigger deal. So far, however, no one seems willing to sign the future Hall of Famer, who averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.4 steals last season.
Will Any Team Take a Chance on Russell Westbrook?
For most of the offseason, it’s been rumored that the Sacramento Kings are highly interested in the 6-foot-3 point guard. No less than ESPN’s Shams Charania reported this “mutual interest” between Westbrook and the Kings.
“I’m told there is strong mutual interest between Russell Westbrook and the Sacramento Kings,” Charania said. “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.”
Until now, however, the Kings haven’t made a concrete move to sign Russ, much less tender an actual offer. With just a week before NBA Tipoff, it’s starting to look like that offer might not come—at least not yet.
What Teams Could Use Russell Westbrook?
Should Westbrook be willing to take an even more reduced role than the one he had with the Nuggets, then conventional wisdom says he’d be a great fit for quite a few teams. He’d certainly help Sacramento in their need for an off-the-bench spark—a role Russ excelled at for stretches last season.
Westbrook could definitely be an asset for the Houston Rockets, too, especially after H-Town lost its starting point guard, Fred VanVleet, to an ACL tear this offseason. He might even do wonders for the Milwaukee Bucks, who currently have no point guard after cutting ties with Damian Lillard, or the Dallas Mavericks, who are still waiting on Kyrie Irving’s full recovery.
Retired Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony probably put it best on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast: “There’s a lot of teams that [Russell Westbrook] could help right f*cking now.”
But again, interest in Russell Westbrook appears thin at the moment, and it’s looking like he won’t be getting signed anytime soon.
If that’s the case, it’s a shame. Warts and all, Russ is a competitor who brings intensity, playmaking, and energy game in and game out. There’s no question he’d still bring it next season.
