Russell Westbrook Undergoing Surgery on Hand Injury Ahead of 2025 NBA Free Agency

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook announced he's scheduled to undergo surgery on his right hand after suffering "two breaks" this season.

The Nuggets announced that Westbrook had surgery to repair "multiple ligament tears," noting he is expected to resume "full" offseason training this summer:

The procedure comes as the nine-time All-Star embarks on an uncertain summer. While signed with Denver through 2025-26, he can opt out and become a free agent.

His decision could reasonably go either way.

Westbrook is scheduled to make $3.5 million next year, which isn't so substantial a sum to make his return a no-brainer. There may not be a lot of better options out there, though.

The general discourse around the 2016-17 MVP is the same as it's been the last few years.

The 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists he averaged in the regular season look pretty good on paper. But his on-court limitations were more glaring in the postseason, when he shot 39.1 percent overall and 31.7 percent on 4.8 three-point attempts per contest.

Accommodating Westbrook's singular style was a challenge as well.

The Athletic's Sam Amick and Tony Jones reported in April that head coach Michael Malone's "choice to continue supporting Westbrook — despite the frustration he was causing on and off the floor — ultimately led to a loss of credibility among the team's key players."

Ramona Shelburne of ESPN also reported Westbrook and teammate Aaron Gordon had a "heated argument" midway through their first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers. An anonymous player described Russ as "so immature" to Shelburne.

Gordon subsequently pushed back against the narrative presented in the story.

Assuming it isn't serious enough to jeopardize his availability for the start of next year, Westbrook's hand surgery probably won't impact what comes next. Teams know the book on his game and they're well aware by now of what he does and doesn't bring to the table.