It seemed a little odd that Russell Westbrook turned down his player option to stay in Denver despite clearly having no other suitors, as he remains unsigned as the preseason begins. But we may have finally gained some clarity on the situation. On his podcast, Inside the Green Room, Danny Green explained that the Nuggets were planning to bury Westbrook on the bench if he opted in.
Green talked about how the Nuggets were ready to move on from Russ, and that they made it clear if he opted in they weren’t going to play him at all, and that he would even be “behind certain guys that he should be above.”
This may come off as disrespectful by the Nuggets, but realistically, it was the right move. They gave Russ a shot, signing him last summer when nobody else wanted him, thrusting him into a huge opportunity, letting him be himself, and allowing him to play high-leverage playoff minutes and prove that he can still play.
Sad ending to Westbrook’s career
Sadly, it seems like this could be the end of the line for Westbrook, at least in the NBA. It’s sad to see a former MVP and future Hall of Famer toiling away like this, clearly still wanting to play, but having no interest from any teams.
Sure, he could go dominate overseas for a few seasons, but is that actually something he wants to do? He’s used to playing a certain way and going toe-to-toe with the best players in the world. Accepting that this phase of his career may be over is not going to be easy.
There’s still a chance that injuries open up a need, or a team chooses to add him during the season, but his days playing a meaningful role for a contender appear to be over.
Nuggets had to part with Westbrook
As sad as it may seem, it’s the best move for the Nuggets. Russ was a helpful player, but he’s simply too volatile and takes away from the style of play that Denver wants. Now that they have much better options in-house and a deep enough bench to go 12-deep, there’s no need for Russ, and he would have just crushed spacing and ball movement.
At the same time, you have to give credit to Russ. He still could have opted in, collected his money, and sat grumpily on the end of the bench. But he’s a man of pride, and didn’t want to accept that role. He still believes he can play, so hopefully he’ll get another chance. But thankfully, it won’t be in Denver.