Russell Westbrook is the career leader in triple-doubles and a former MVP winner, yet he is still a free agent. He is 37 years old, but has played in 68+ games the past two seasons. However, after declining his player option for the 2025-26 season, he remains unsigned after nearly two months of free agency. And the worst part is, Russ might remain a free agent for a while.
Russell Westbrook Has Hit a New Low in His Career
According to Sam Amico of Hoops Wire, fans should not be surprised if Russell Westbrook enters the new season as a free agent. If he does get a contract, it will likely be for the veteran’s minimum. There are a few teams that might be potential fits, but nothing has materialized to this day. The challenge with Westbrook is that while he helps teams win games during the regular season, he might be too much of an X-factor in the playoffs. When he has a good game, he is awesome. But more often than not, he can have careless turnovers that can cost teams games in the playoffs.
In the final few games of the regular season, Westbrook cost his team a victory that could have completely changed the seeding. Westbrook stole a pass, then missed a layup, and then fouled on a three-point shot that cost the Nuggets a game. In the playoffs versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, he was good in the first two games, then scored eight, six, four, eight, and six points in the remaining five games. In two of those games, he shot worse than 20% from the field.
How Jonathan Kuminga Might Influence Westbrook
At first glance, this might sound crazy, but Russ might be a victim of a trade saga that dragged on for too long. The Jonathan Kuminga situation has influenced several teams, with a few of them showing interest in Westbrook.
For example, the Sacramento Kings and the Miami Heat have been mentioned as suitors for the former MVP. However, both are waiting to see what happens with Kuminga before making any additional moves. In fact, there is even a rumored mega trade that can send Kuminga to the Kings, and other players to third teams. Once the dust settles on Kuminga, Russ might have more suitors.
Is Russ Done?
Here is an interesting stat. For two consecutive years, Westbrook has earned points for the Sixth Man of the Year award. Both times, he was far from winning it. But just earning points for his contribution off the bench should tell teams he is ready to accept a lesser role. What is more interesting is that he did it with two separate teams, first with the Los Angeles Clippers and then with the Denver Nuggets. In both seasons, his field goal percentage was higher than his career average. And last season, he shot better from three-point range than his career efficiency.
On the other hand, we can take a look at a similar situation with Carmelo Anthony. Melo was also 37 years old when he played his final season in the NBA. Like Russ, Carmelo earned points for Sixth Man of the Year in one of his last seasons, playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. But that was not enough for teams to give him another shot after his last season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Will some team give Russ a chance, or will he be forced into retirement? Let’s wait and see.
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