Apr 13, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook (4) dribbles against the Houston Rockets in the second half at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Russell Westbrook’s Top Suitor Makes Move Without Free Agency Impact

Originally posted on Fastbreak on SI | By Justin Grasso | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 10:18 PM ET

The former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook remains a free agent with training camps opening soon.

For the past month, Westbrook has been linked to the Sacramento Kings. At this point, it seems the veteran guard could be in a Kings-or-bust situation.

But if there is a team out there that might consider swooping in and picking up Westbrook off the open market, it seems they have time to make their decision.

According to NBA Insider Jake Fischer, the Kings don’t seem to be rushing to make a decision on Westbrook, even after clearing space earlier this week.

via Jake Fischer of The Stein Line: “There is no indication — yet — that the Kings' decision to release Terence Davis is the first step toward a Russell Westbrook signing in Sacramento. It's too soon to go that far.

But parting ways with Davis, who was on a non-guaranteed contract, would appear to signal that the Kings no longer believed his contract could be useful in a potential trade for salary-matching purposes. One example: Had sign-and-trade talks for Kuminga ever reached an advanced stage, Sacramento could have guaranteed Davis' deal to include him.”

It was believed that Davis was only on board with Sacramento this long in order to be used in a trade. With the Kings cutting ties well before his contract salary became guaranteed, it signals that trade talks are behind the Kings as well.

At 36, Westbrook isn’t anticipating a long-term stop. The NBA veteran is no longer commanding multi-year deals in the max range.

After Westbrook spent a full season with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021-2022, he was traded to the LA Clippers after 52 games in 2022-2023. In the following year, Westbrook played the entire season with the Clippers, but he left in free agency last summer.

Westbrook signed with the Denver Nuggets in late July last year. He appeared in 75 games, starting 36 of the matchups. The veteran guard averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game, with 29 minutes of playing time per game.

The Kings solved their starting point guard question by investing a healthy amount into a sign-and-trade with the Detroit Pistons to acquire Dennis Schroder. Westbrook has been viewed as the top target for quite some time. So far, the Kings haven’t finalized anything at this time.

Westbrook is still available to interested suitors on the open market.