“Yeah, Russ is a legend, and I think he deserves to be in the NBA right now. And I think he deserves to walk out of the NBA on his terms.” Former teammate and great friend Kevin Durant spoke highly of Russell Westbrook’s return to the league. For now, there have been rumors, but the former Denver Nuggets star remains a free agent. Adding more to the speculation was another NBA star turned podcaster, who detailed what went wrong for the 2017 MVP.

“I thought he had something guaranteed or something already in the books, like somebody’s interested. For you to opt out from what I heard is that they were not planning on to play him at all this year. Even behind certain guys that he should be above.” As per 3x NBA champion Danny Green, the Nuggets franchise was not ready to offer meaningful minutes to Westbrook despite his contributions last year. This seemingly led the 9x All-Star to take matters into his own hands.

But even that decision is yet to be fruitful. That’s why even Danny Green questioned Russell Westbrook and his entire decision-making process. “I feel like Russ is more out of pocket of opting out of his contract when not having one in place already. You still take the guarantee, make him trade you, make him get you, whatever. You take the guaranteed money unless you know for sure that you have somebody in place.”

The Nuggets’ reluctance to retain him stemmed from a combination of organizational shifts, performance inconsistencies, and roster strategy- none of which amounted to a formal “waiver”- as he wasn’t waived; he declined his option.

The Nuggets fired head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth late in the 2024-25 regular season amid a slide that included a 140-139 double-overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 1, 2025, where Westbrook’s erratic play (including turnovers) drew internal frustration.

Interim coach David Adelman immediately reduced Westbrook’s minutes, benching him in the fourth quarter of a win over the Sacramento Kings on April 9 and limiting him to 17 minutes in his debut game- his second-lowest total of the season. This signaled a shift toward younger players like Jalen Pickett and Julian Strawther for backcourt depth.

In the playoffs, Denver advanced past the Clippers in seven games (where Westbrook shot 41.9% from three) but fell to the Thunder in the second round. Westbrook averaged 11.7 points and 3.7 rebounds off the bench but shot poorly (35% FG, 22% 3P) against OKC, committing 18 turnovers over the series.

His high-energy style led to “critical mistakes when it matters most,” as reported, heightening Denver’s need for more reliable spacing and decision-making around Jokic and Murray.

On top of that, the Nuggets prioritized re-signing Bruce Brown for the bench point guard role Westbrook filled, aiming to add shooting and versatility without exceeding luxury-tax thresholds- already strained by max deals for Jokic and Murray.

According to previous reports, the 36-year-old declined his $3.5 million player option with the Nuggets. He had until June 29 to consider all of his options, and since then, there has been no official news of him joining another side.

Although his minutes did drop in the playoffs, Westbrook remained formidable on the court. Despite coming off the bench, his average assists (6.1 per game) and average rebounds (4.9) were his 4th best in terms of career high.

Plus, averaging 13.3 points despite not being a starter, paints the picture of the former Nuggets star still being a useful vet in the league. After all, he finished seventh in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season.

Indeed, Russell Westbrook is no longer the MVP or nightly triple-double machine. But he’s not finished either.

What’s next for Russell Westbrook? As MVP continues to lobby for the veteran

During his appearance on Up and Adams, Kevin Durant hinted that the reunion could be possible. “Yeah, Russ is a legend, and I think he deserves to be in the NBA right now. And I think he deserves to walk out of the NBA on his terms. So yeah, that would be dope. But it’s not my decision. Leaving that up to whoever makes those decisions.” Let’s not forget that Russ was battling through two fractured bones in his right hand.

His recovery from right-hand surgery is on track and is expected to be ready when the season rolls around. But no NBA team is ready to bet on it for now. There were rumors of the Rockets being an option, since their starting PG, Fred VanVleet, suffered a season-ending injury.

But the Houston franchise has multiple players on new deals, which means up to nine players can’t be traded until Dec. 15. So, the trade able options on the table currently are Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, and Reed Sheppard.

Frankly, the Rockets won’t trade any of them to free up a spot for Russell Westbrook. That’s why, for now, they are turning to young star Reed Sheppard to have more minutes as a PG.

It seems to be the approach of other teams as well. Rather than banking on the veteran, try the young stars on their team. Leaving Mr. Triple Double without a team since June 29.