Russell Westbrook’s retirement caught plenty of people off guard, and now the missing piece is coming into focus: two teams reportedly tried to keep him in the league this summer, and both times the answer wound up being no.
According to reporting from The Stein Line’s Marc Stein, the Washington Wizards made a two-year offer to bring Westbrook back to Washington, where he played in 2020-21. But those talks didn’t just stall - they ended with Westbrook, not the team, walking away from the table.
“How serious were the Wizards? League sources tell The Stein Line that Washington made a two-year offer to bring Westbrook back to the nation's capital,” Stein reported.
“Sources say Westbrook - not the team - is the party that ended those talks. The 37-year-old apparently balked at the specific terms of the offer and/or the role presented and has decided to stop playing instead.”
The Sacramento Kings were also in the mix, but that path closed for a different reason. Westbrook had just finished a revival season with Sacramento, putting up 15.2 points, 6.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. Even so, a smaller role in 2026-27 wasn’t something he wanted to sign up for.
“It was our Jake Fischer, of course, who first revealed Sacramento's interest in bringing Westbrook back for a second season in the above article on Aug. 3, but … same thing,” Stein added. “A reduced role behind lottery pick Darius Acuff Jr. compared to the role Westbrook had last season did not appeal to him.”
Westbrook, who is 37, then made the call to step away after 18 NBA seasons. He announced it with a self-tribute video, closing the book on a career that includes the 2017 MVP award, nine All-Star selections, nine All-NBA honors, a spot on the NBA’s Top 75 list, an Olympic gold medal, and the league record for triple-doubles.
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