Just hours before we got the news that Russell Westbrook had signed a one-year deal with the Sacramento Kings, the NBA world had multiple concerns over Russell Westbrook’s future in the league. Some players claimed he was blackballed, while others resorted to pointing fingers to blame the downfall of Westbrook’s career on teams like the Nuggets and the Lakers. Among them was Patrick Beverley, Westbrook’s former teammate.
The former NBA guard, despite being teammates with Westbrook for only a few months on the Lakers in the 2022-23 season, dubbed him ‘the best teammate he ever had’ and torched the Lakers for leaving him in a situation where he had to accept a lesser role on the team or stay at the risk of being jobless.
“It’s f*cked up what happened to Russ, bro. On God, it’s f*cked up what happened to Russ. And Russ got a bad take because of that Lakers team. That’s the truth, bro…Ever since Russ left the Lakers, bro, he’s been on a minimum, bro. We’ve never seen this, ever,” said the former Lakers guard in frustration on the latest episode of his podcast.
“We’ve never seen a player who’s been the MVP, who’s impacted the game, who they call names and tell him that he can’t shoot. Go to the playoffs, shoot 40 with the Clippers the very next year. Take a less demeaning role with the Lakers. Take a less demeaning role with the Clippers,” Beverley further explained.
“He’s been a sixth man ever since he left the Lakers. He’s a starting point guard in the NBA. He’s arguably one of the top three point guards to ever play the game. You tell me this man can’t get on a team, all because he’s passionate—all because he stretches with the team every single f*cking practice—all because if it’s a team out, he’s there all the f*cking time. All because if you talk to anyone around the league, Russell is the best teammate I’ve ever had,” said Beeraly in conclusion.
This was just hours before Westbrook landed a contract with the Kings amid rumors of potentially needing to wait till December to sign with teams like the Rockets. There were also potential offers worth four times what he is earning, waiting for Westbrook if he wanted to play overseas, but he was reportedly confident that he could fight for and land a contract in the NBA. After Westbrook landed the contract with the Kings, Beverley took to social media and showed how delighted he was to see his former teammate get a contract.
“Russ to the Kings❤️,” wrote Beverley on X.
Despite teaming up with superstars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Westbrook likely remembers his time on the Lakers with a grain of salt. He became the scapegoat for the Lakers’ downfall and was eventually traded in 2023 to the Jazz, who later waived him. Subsequently, Westbrook has fallen from a consistent starter for any NBA team to a sixth-man role at best.
During his one and a half seasons with the Lakers, Westbrook averaged 17.4 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 29.7% from beyond the three-point arc. The former MVP averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.9 rebounds last season (2024-25) while coming off the bench for the Nuggets, while shooting 44.9% from the field.
Westbrook can still be a crucial addition to the Kings to mentor their young guards like Devin Carter and Keon Ellis. Clearly, the NBA is a much happier league with Westbrook in it. I am very delighted to see that Westbrook has landed a contract, as it seemed nearly destined that Westbrook wouldn’t get one until December, till just a few hours ago, weeks after declining his $3.5 million player-option with the Nuggets.
