Russell Westbrook didn't exercise his player option for next season with the Denver Nuggets, making him an unrestricted free agent this summer. It's nearing the end of September, and he's still on the market, but that may not be the case for long.
On Monday afternoon, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Rockets guard Fred VanVleet tore his ACL. He'll potentially miss the entire 2025-26 season, a devastating blow for Houston.
Rather than rely heavily on Reed Sheppard, who played 52 games last season as a rookie, the Rockets could sign Westbrook. The former Nuggets guard has been linked to the Kings, but given Houston's need for another point guard, Westbrook could return to the Rockets.
Rockets could sign Russell Westbrook after Fred VanVleet injury
Houston made several moves this summer, the biggest being the Kevin Durant trade. The Rockets' other big additions this summer include Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela. They beefed up their frontcourt, preparing for what they hope will be a championship season, making the FVV injury that much more unfortunate.
As cap expert Keith Smith pointed out, the Rockets can't sign a player straightaway without clearing salary first, so they'll have to do some maneuvering if they want Russ. They could receive a Disabled Player Exception, but they'd still need to stay under the first tax apron hard cap (they're $1.2 million below it).
Rockets don't have room under their first-apron hard cap to sign another player right now. Barring a salary-clearing move, Houston will be able to sign a player in early-January to a rest-of-season contract. https://t.co/rDVEtXeHw2
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) September 22, 2025
Westbrook has caught a bad rap the past few seasons, which is undeserved. He had a rollercoaster of a season in Denver, but one thing fans can say for sure is that he helped the team off the bench. He hurt the team at times, too, but not to the point where he shouldn't be on another NBA team.
The soon-to-be 37-year-old has the experience that Houston should want. Having a player like Westbrook in a relatively young locker room would benefit the Rockets. Reuniting him with Durant in a quest for a championship is one of the many storylines that would come from Westbrook returning to Houston.
Whether the Rockets want to pursue Westbrook or not should become evident rather quickly, with training camp set to open next week. After the offseason that they had, they can't afford to enter the season without another point guard.
Perhaps Russ will have another chance to compete for a title in Houston, an outcome that wouldn't be likely if he signs with Sacramento.