Russell Westbrook Could Be On The Move Again, WHY NOT?
By Chase S. Fri, Jun 13, 2025
Russell Westbrook may no longer carry his MVP-caliber, triple-double engine at 36-years-old,
but in Denver this season he did find a new gear.
Appearing in 75 games and averaging 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.1 assists with 44.9%
shooting in 27.9 minutes played per game, the veteran guard carved out a high-impact role
despite a reduced offensive workload. Statistically, Westbrook provided Denver the balance it
needed on both ends of the court.
Per 40 minutes, he posted 18.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 6.5 assists with a 25% usage rate.
While his true shooting sat at 48.9%, his court vision and up-tempo pace complemented
Denver’s bench rotations and allowed Jokic-led lineups to stay fresh.
Russell’s fit alongside Jokic proved even more telling.
When the two shared the court, Denver’s offensive rating soared to 119.0 with a net rating of
+12.9. As a starter, Westbrook averaged 14.3 points and 8.4 assists on 52.1% shooting, with
the Nuggets winning six of those seven games.
After completing the first season of his two-year, $6.8 million deal, the 36-year-old is entering
this offseason with a player option. Westbrook, a nine-time All-Star and MVP winner, is well
beyond his physical prime, yet the right cards still remain in his hands.
According to Marc Stein, Westbrook is set to decline his player option with the Nuggets, which
would make him an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Could a reunion with the Thunder finally be in the cards for Westbrook after being on five teams
over the past six seasons? After the OKC Thunder defeated Westbrook’s Nuggets team in
game 7, the league’s MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shared a special embrace with Russell that
got captured for social media to see.
https://x.com/beastbr00k0/status/1924243766153564337?s=46
Shai to Russell: “I gotta get you back, back here.”
All Westbrook could respond back with to SGA was a large smile as the embrace ended and the
players went their separate ways.
The craziest part is that OKC’s front office can afford Westbrook easily.
https://www.basketball-reference.com/contracts/OKC.html
OKC only has to worry about paying three players over the next two years. Chet and Jalen
William’s contracts will expire after the 25-26 season, and Shai will be eligible for an extension
before his contract expires in 26-27.Westbrook has already proved in Denver that he could adjust to veteran role-player duties on
the court off the bench and he proved it efficiently.
Russell Westbrook did undergo surgery on his right hand last month to repair multiple ligament
tears, the Denver Nuggets announced. Although, Westbrook stated in his personal newsletter
that he was having surgery to fix “two breaks that happened earlier during the season.
” He is
expected to resume full offseason training this summer following his procedure.
The two-time NBA scoring champion and people’s champ is still seeking his first NBA
championship. The 2016-2017 MVP has career averages of 21.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 8.0
assists in 1,237 games (1,075 starts) with the Thunder, Rockets, Wizards, Lakers, Clippers, and
Nuggets.
Westbrook is also the career leader in triple-doubles (203) and ranks eighth in NBA history in
assists (9,925), and can still bring his intensity to any team he lands on for next season.
Whether it’s back with the Nuggets, or if he ends back up in familiar old threads or new ones,
Westbrook will seemingly never let anyone dim out his light as his passion for the game still
remains.
At 36-years-old, if Westbrook were to sign a contract with a new organization, it’d most likely be
around the veteran amount 3-6 million per year. However, that’s a price many teams can afford
in today’s league where the young stars only want higher salaries.
Expect Russell and his camp to make a decision closer to the NBA Draft and the opening of the
free agency market come July.
