Let me sit with this for a second, because I’m genuinely trying to wrap my head around it.
Russell Westbrook, the legendary the 2017 NBA MVP, the guy who averaged a triple-double for four seasons, the force of nature who put up 31.6/10.7/10.4 and made us believe one man could will a mediocre roster into relevance…doesn’t have a team right now. It’s late September. Training camps are opening. And Russ is at home.
How?
Because here’s what makes this so bewildering: Westbrook isn’t some cautionary tale
about decline. He just played 75 games for Denver. Got an A- grade from the beat writer covering him daily. Helped swing a Game 7 in the first round with his defensive intensity. His coach called the Jokić-Westbrook pairing “the best two-man game in the league” at one point during the season. This isn’t a player who fell off a cliff. This is a player who proved that he can still contribute winning basketball at the NBA level.
So what am I missing?
Remember when we genuinely debated whether Westbrook was better than Steph Curry? That wasn’t some fringe take—that was a legitimate discourse. Westbrook won MVP. He was putting up numbers we hadn’t seen since Oscar Robertson. The triple-double seasons felt like proof of something transcendent.
And now I’m looking at where the other legends from that era landed:
Steph Curry (37) is still the centerpiece of the Warriors’ franchise, still bending defenses with his gravity, still viewed as one of the most impactful players in basketball.
James Harden (36) is starting for a playoff team, and he’s a former teammate with Westbrook on three different teams, still orchestrating offenses, still balling.
Chris Paul (40!) is somehow still in this league, still commanding respect as a floor general, still considered an important piece to a playoff team.
Kevin Durant (36) Hey it’s Westbrook’s old Thunder running mate, playing for Westbrook’s old team in Houston! KD is still an extremely pivotal piece for a title contender!
And Russell Westbrook is unsigned. The guy who won MVP and rewrote the history book for statistical accomplishments.
How does that happen?
I keep coming back to Denver’s playoff run because it offers some context, but not quite enough to explain this. Westbrook shot 11-of-42 in the final five games against Oklahoma City when the Nuggets needed him most. That’s rough. But we also just learned he was playing through torn ligaments in his shooting hand that required surgery.
Does that explain everything? The injury context matters as it explains the shooting struggles down the stretch. But here’s where I’m stuck: Westbrook opted out of a $3.5 million player option, presumably because he thought the market would value him higher than that. He had leverage. He had tape showing he could still play. He had a quality regular season with 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds on 44.9% shooting.
That’s not All-Star production, but that’s rotation-level contribution from a legendary vet. So why isn’t anyone calling?
Maybe it’s this: Westbrook’s career 30.5% three-point shooting means he doesn’t space the floor. He shot 32% from beyond the arc. His game was always built on athletic explosion, an absolute monster at attacking the rim like a freight train, playing with controlled fury. As that athleticism fades, it begs the question where is his fit?
But then I look at Chris Paul, who’s 40 years old and playing meaningful minutes somewhere, and I wonder: Is it really just about shooting? CP3 hit 37% from beyond the arc last year which is solid. But I wonder if he’s still an asset because his game has always had that crafty floor generalship and high IQ that extends beyond freakish athleticism.
Did Westbrook just not evolve the same way? Or is there something else teams see that we don’t?
KD and Russ terrorized the league as youngsters and went to the Finals together in 2012. They just couldn’t finish the job. Durant left for Golden State in 2016, won two championships, and took on all the criticism that came with that choice. Now Durant is still viewed as a franchise cornerstone. Westbrook is teamless?!
I’m not saying Durant’s path was “right” and Westbrook’s was “wrong” as that feels too simple. Durant is a monster at fit, spacing, and championship equity. Westbrook’s game hasn’t translated as easy. So what are we supposed to make of this? I genuinely don’t know how to feel about this situation. Can somebody help me explain why nobody wants him? Not even as a veteran mentor? Not even on a minimum deal?
I’m left with more questions than answers. This feels like it should be a teaching moment about something like about how basketball value works, about what actually ages in this sport, about the difference between stats and impact. But mostly it just feels surreal.
The guy who won MVP, who put up numbers we hadn’t seen in generations, who played his heart out just months ago…is at home. No team. No role. Just watching everyone else’s Media Day on social media.
How did we get here? It makes me appreciate what Curry is giving Dub Nation that much more.
