The Denver Nuggets still have work to do in free agency, and the answer at one of their biggest roster needs may be sitting in plain sight.
After adding reigning EuroLeague Best Defender Alpha Diallo overseas, Denver still has a couple of roster spots to sort out. The team is also waiting on decisions involving restricted free agents Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones. But the bigger roster issue remains the same: the Nuggets need more guard depth and another reliable ball-handler.
That’s why Russell Westbrook keeps coming up.
Westbrook’s Denver stint ended in 2025 on a sour note, but the fit is easy to see from a basketball standpoint. In his only season with the Nuggets, he put up 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
He gave Denver real production, and he did it after a few uneven years with the L.A. Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers.
The problem was what happened after the season. Westbrook had a team option for 2025-26, but he opted out and later signed with the Sacramento Kings. In November, he made it clear he believed Denver had already moved on from him.
"The truth is they didn't want me back. Ain't up to me," Westbrook said in November.
"... They don't want me, that's O.K.
Somebody else do. ... They told me not to [pick it up].
I don't go anywhere I'm not wanted."
Westbrook also said, “They didn’t want me back.” and “I don’t go anywhere I’m not wanted.”
That leaves the obvious question: would he even consider a return if the Nuggets came calling again?
From a roster-building standpoint, Denver could use him. Right now, the Nuggets have only two backup guards on the roster in Tyus Jones and Julian Strawther, and there’s real uncertainty about whether Jones can handle the full load as the primary reserve playmaker. Westbrook, by contrast, has long shown he can handle the ball, create offense and give a team a steady veteran presence.
He also brings physical defense and a voice in the locker room. That matters for a team trying to clean up the mess left by what the source describes as a hopeless disaster in the 2026 playoffs.
There are still obvious questions about how Westbrook would fit behind the scenes, especially if the issues that pushed him out in the first place are still there. But as far as pure basketball fit goes, the case is strong. He can run a second unit, take pressure off the other guards and bring a level of toughness Denver currently lacks.
On paper, he checks a lot of boxes. Whether the Nuggets are willing to reopen that door is the real issue. But if Denver is serious about fixing its guard depth, Westbrook has to be part of the conversation.
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Nikola Jokic Has Nuggets Fans Reading Into One New Offseason Look
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