Russell Westbrook’s next NBA stop is suddenly looking murky again.
A year after he was left unsigned in free agency following his decision to decline his player option with the Denver Nuggets, Westbrook eventually landed with the Sacramento Kings on a one-year deal just a week before the 2025-26 season began. Sacramento was the only team willing to take him then. Now, the same uneasy wait could be coming back around this summer.
The latest word out of Sacramento is not encouraging. NBA insider Jake Fischer said on a Bleacher Report live stream that he doesn’t see a clear path for Westbrook to return.
"I really don't have a home for him right now. I don't believe Sacramento wants him back.
I don't think he wants to go back there. I don't know where Russ could go at this point here,"
That uncertainty matters because Westbrook’s stint with the Kings may end up being his last real chance to stick in the league if another team doesn’t step up. Fischer had previously floated the Washington Wizards as a possible destination early in free agency, but now says he is "ruling out" a reunion.
Sacramento, meanwhile, appears ready to keep pushing toward its next phase. Westbrook was useful last season as a steady veteran presence for the team’s younger players, but the Kings seem prepared to turn the page. The front office has already shown that willingness by moving on from other veterans, including DeMar DeRozan.
Kings GM Scott Perry made it clear in early July that Westbrook had earned respect, but the money situation was what it was.
"Russ has always been a favorite of mine. Russell Westbrook outplayed a minimum contract last season, which is all that we have right now,"
He added:
"So, that’s all I have really to say about him right now."
That’s the other piece of this: Sacramento can only offer the veteran minimum, and Perry’s comments suggested Westbrook is looking for more than that on the open market. There’s also the simple basketball reality that Westbrook may not want to spend another one of his final seasons on a 60-loss team.
Westbrook himself sounded open to a return when the season ended, saying, "If I'm welcomed back, then I'll be back."
But the situation has changed since then. After the Kings drafted Darius Acuff Jr. with the seventh overall pick, one obvious idea was Westbrook helping guide the rookie’s first year.
He was exactly that kind of presence for Sacramento’s young players last season. If the Kings want Acuff Jr. to grow into a star point guard, Westbrook would be a natural mentor.
The Kings could also use another backup point guard. Their guard group is crowded, but it leans heavily toward off-ball options. A veteran ball-handler behind Acuff Jr. would make sense, and Westbrook still fits that description.
Even so, Sacramento seems ready to go in a different direction, and Perry’s stance suggests the front office knows when to move on. Westbrook’s future now hangs in the balance, and after being the Kings’ lone suitor last offseason, he may be searching for another home all over again. At 37, he’s clearly not the same player he once was, but there’s still reason to believe he has something left.
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