Kevin Durant Hypes Possible Russell Westbrook Reunion Amid Rockets Contract Buzz

Kevin Durant entertained the idea of reuniting with Russell Westbrook as the Houston Rockets evaluate all of their options after starting point guard Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL.

Durant said Wednesday on Up & Adams that he has seen speculation linking Westbrook to the Rockets but hasn't heard anything directly from the team. He added that having Westbrook in Houston "would be dope":

The two stars spent eight years together with the Oklahoma City Thunder before Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors in 2016.

Westbrook made his thoughts on that move clear, though fans didn't realize it at the time. He shared a photo of cupcakes on July 4, the same day KD announced his decision, and it later came out how "cupcake" was a word the Thunder locker room used dismissively about opposing players.

Nine years have passed since then, and the extent to which there was actual animosity between the former teammates was probably exaggerated from the start.

On a personal level, Durant and Westbrook should have little trouble coexisting again. The question for the Rockets is whether the 2016-17 MVP would be a good basketball fit.

There's a reason why Westbrook still unsigned despite averaging 13.3 points and 6.1 assists for the Denver Nuggets a season ago. Although he has adjusted to playing less than he did during his prime, his on-court style hasn't changed much. He was a terrible shooter (32.3 percent on threes) and had a 23.8 percent usage rate in 2024-25 with Denver, per Basketball Reference.

In addition, Westbrook's role was reportedly a source of friction between general manager Calvin Booth and head coach Michael Malone.

The Rockets could potentially open with Reed Sheppard as the starter at point guard, while head coach Ime Udoka told ESPN's Michael C. Wright he may adopt a playmaker-by-committee approach with Durant, Sheppard, Amen Thompson and Alperen Şengün all contributing. Neither solution is ideal to replace VanVleet's impact.

Purely in terms of his experience and production, Westbrook might help. But it's worth asking why the general Russell Westbrook experience would fare any better in Houston than it did with the Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers or Los Angeles Clippers.