Months after Russell Westbrook declined his player option for the 2025-26 season with the Denver Nuggets, the former MVP found a new home. On Wednesday morning, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Westbrook agreed on a deal to sign with the Kings.
Westbrook was linked to Sacramento throughout the offseason, so the news didn't come as a surprise. Charania cited Westbrook's "bonds with Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine" as well as his "history alongside Dennis Schroder in the backcourt" as part of the reasoning behind Westbrook's choice to join Sacramento.
BREAKING: Nine-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook has agreed on a deal to sign with the Sacramento Kings, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management tells ESPN. The 2017 league MVP enters his 18th NBA season. pic.twitter.com/Y0SrfKJrcf
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 15, 2025
What is a little surprising is that it took this long for Westbrook to sign with a team as a free agent, as the start of the regular season is less than a week away.
Russell Westbrook agrees to deal with Sacramento Kings
He averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 assists, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game last season for the Nuggets, shooting 44.9% from the field and 32.2% from three. Denver got the full Westbrook experience, with the lowest point perhaps being last April's double-overtime loss against Minnesota, but he gave the team a spark of energy off the bench.
Westbrook's decision to decline his player option for the upcoming season didn't make sense from his perspective when it happened in June. A few days ago, Danny Green said on his podcast, "Inside The Green Room," that he heard that the Nuggets "weren't planning to play him at all this year, even being certain guys he should be above."
The truth is that Denver was right to let Westbrook know that he wouldn't play much, if at all, if what Green said is true. The Nuggets had a stellar offseason, including reuniting with Bruce Brown and trading for Cam Johnson. Brown can handle playmaking duties, as can Jalen Pickett.
With Denver not having a true backup point guard, some fans wondered if the Nuggets would bring Westbrook back. Although it was already clear that it wouldn't happen, today's news confirmed that.
The Kings' decision to sign Westbrook raises even more questions about Sacramento's roster construction and what the front office is trying to achieve. One thing is evident, and it's that Westbrook and the Kings won't be contending for the title.
Hopefully, Westbrook finds what he's looking for in Sacramento, but if a semi-large role is what he still wants at the age of 36 (and that seems to be what he wants), he might not even find that with the Kings.