Russell Westbrook Addresses His NBA Free Agency Status Amid Kings, Landing Spot Rumors

NBA guard Russell Westbrook was asked about his current free agency status during an interview with CNN's Elex Michaelson regarding the nine-time All-Star's wide-ranging community service (5:37 mark).

"I don't (think about it) honestly," Westbrook answered.

Michaelson asked if Westbrook wanted to play an 18th NBA season, and he responded as follows: "I love playing basketball, and if it happens, it works and that's my plan."

Westbrook once starred on the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2008-2019, making eight All-NBA teams and winning the 2016-17 NBA MVP award.

He's still managed to be productive in the years since then and even averaged a triple-double for the Washington Wizards in 2020-2021, marking the fourth time in his career that he accomplished that feat.

Over the past four seasons, Westbrook has gone back and forth between the starting lineup and coming off the bench. He has still put up numbers and averaged 15.2 points, 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds in 29.0 minutes per contest last season for the Sacramento Kings.

Speaking of which, Sacramento is "open to a reunion" with Westbrook, per ESPN's Anthony Slater. However, the Kings "are also understanding that Westbrook might not be as interested in playing a reduced role behind prized rookie Darius Acuff Jr."

Acuff is the present and future of the Kings franchise. The 6'2" guard was the seventh overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft after averaging 23.5 points and 6.4 assists per game last year.

One can presume that the Kings' starting backcourt will be Acuff and Zach LaVine next year, but Westbrook and fellow guard Malik Monk could be the top backcourt reserves and certainly get their fair share of playing time.

We'll see if Westbrook and the Kings can reach an agreement. They didn't until just before the regular season (October 16) last year, so the fact that Westbrook is without a team now deep into the summer doesn't necessarily mean he'll be without a home when the 2026-27 regular season begins.