Is Russell Westbrook actually a good fit for Rockets?

The Houston Rockets just got the worst kind of preseason news, as Fred VanVleet tore his right ACL during an offseason workout and is expected to miss the entire 2025-26 season. 

For a team that signed him to a two-year, $50 million extension with the idea that he’d stabilize the backcourt, it’s a brutal blow. Inevitably, the conversation has turned to free agents — and Russell Westbrook’s name has entered the mix. But does he actually fit what Houston needs?

The financial squeeze

Westbrook is available. He declined his $3.47 million player option with Denver this summer and is now an unrestricted free agent. The Rockets, in theory, could use a veteran guard with VanVleet out. The problem is money. 

Houston is already deep into the cap and hovering around the apron, with ESPN's Bobby Marks and other cap analysts pointing out it’d likely need to dump salary in a trade just to open the flexibility and roster spot required to sign anyone. That’s not an easy ask for a team already locked into expensive deals across the rotation.

Westbrook is no longer a max-level player, but even at a veteran salary, adding him means subtracting somewhere else. That raises a question: Is moving part of the roster to shoehorn him in the best use of resources for a team that still views itself as building toward the future?

What this means for Reed Sheppard

The bigger storyline is Reed Sheppard. Houston drafted him No. 3 overall in 2024, but barely used him in his rookie year — 52 games, just 4.4 points per game and often glued to the bench while the veterans carried the load. Now, with VanVleet sidelined, the path is finally clear for Sheppard to prove himself.

If the Rockets bring in Westbrook, that opportunity gets complicated. Sheppard is a combo guard who needs touches to find his rhythm, and Houston’s development track has already been slow. Giving his minutes to a 36-year-old Westbrook would signal that the Rockets are more concerned with patching short-term depth than actually growing their top prospect.

Stylistically, Westbrook also presents challenges. He still plays with full throttle, attacking the rim and pushing tempo, but he needs the ball to be effective. Houston’s young core — Alperen Sengun in the post, Amen Thompson as a secondary playmaker, Jabari Smith Jr. on the wing — already needs careful balancing. Adding Westbrook could create more overlap than synergy.

There’s no doubt the Rockets could use stability without VanVleet. Westbrook, even at this stage, brings energy, leadership and competitiveness. But Houston’s bigger picture matters more. It is not one veteran away from contending, and it can’t afford to stall Sheppard’s growth after investing a top-three pick.

Unless the Rockets are willing to shuffle the roster and punt on Sheppard’s development for another year, the best path forward is simple: let the rookie have his chance. Westbrook still has value in the league, but his next stop should probably be on a contender searching for bench depth — not on a Rockets team that needs to think about the next decade, not just the next few months.