Russell Westbrook found himself on the losing side when he faced off against his former team, the Denver Nuggets, on Monday as his Sacramento Kings lost 130-124 at the Ball Arena. Westbrook’s decision not to pick up his player option with the Nuggets in the summer had puzzled many, and he finally chose to reveal postgame why he hit free agency.
“The truth is that they didn’t want me back,” Westbrook said. “It ain’t up to me… God always has a plan. Be patient. Not up to me. They don’t want me. That’s okay. Somebody else do.”
When asked if he considered picking up the $3.4 million player option for 2025-26, even with the Nuggets not necessarily wanting him back, Westbrook said they had specifically told him not to do so.
“They told me not to,” Westbrook stated. “I don’t go anywhere I’m not wanted. I don’t need to.”
Former NBA player Danny Green previously stated that the Nuggets weren’t planning on playing Westbrook at all if he had returned. It would appear there might have been some truth to what Green had to say.
It is perhaps a little bit surprising just how keen the Nuggets were on not having Westbrook back. While his 2024-25 season wasn’t a slam dunk success, it wasn’t a disaster either.
Westbrook averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game for the Nuggets. There were some great highs and terrible lows, which is about what you expect from the nine-time All-Star at this stage of his career.
The Nuggets, though, seemingly weren’t fans of what they saw on the court from Westbrook. There were also murmurs about issues in the locker room, and that could have played a part in their decision, too.
From the outside, Westbrook not picking up that player option looked like a terrible decision with each passing day. The 36-year-old remained a free agent with just weeks remaining for the start of the 2025-26 season, and you wondered if his NBA career was over.
It was only on Oct. 16 that the Kings announced that they had signed Westbrook. He hasn’t had the greatest of starts to life with the franchise, but he had his best game against the Nuggets here.
Westbrook finished with 26 points (10-17 FG), 12 rebounds, six assists, and two steals on the night. He played great, but it wasn’t enough to get the win for the Kings, who have now dropped to 2-5.
Nikola Jokic Praised Russell Westbrook After The Nuggets Beat The Kings
While some Nuggets players may have had issues with Westbrook, it appears likely that Nikola Jokic wasn’t one of them. Jokic praised his former teammate in his postgame press conference when asked about facing him.
“It’s always good to see Russ, especially because he was our teammate last year,” Jokic said. “… For one year, I think me and him had a really good chemistry for such a short period of time. And he’s a great player, he’s a Hall of Famer, and it’s always good to see him on the floor.”
Jokic and Westbrook did play well together, and it would have been incredible to see them as teammates when the latter was at his peak. They would have wreaked havoc.
Jokic is causing teams all sorts of problems as is right now. He had 34 points (14-22 FG), seven rebounds, 14 assists, four steals, and two blocks against the Kings to help the Nuggets get to 4-2 this season. They are in action next against the Miami Heat at Ball Arena on Wednesday at 9 PM ET.
As for the Kings, they take on the Golden State Warriors at the Golden 1 Center on Wednesday at 10 PM ET.
