Russell Westbrook remains without a contract to start the NBA season. He chose not to pick up his $3.5 million player option in Denver (not a shock after he had a locker room clash with Aaron Gordon during the playoffs), but no team has stepped up yet with a deal to replace it.
Despite rumored offers for him in China, Westbrook is staying put stateside, and his most likely landing spot remains the team he flirted with all summer, the Sacramento Kings. Here is what ESPNâ€s Shams Charania reported on NBA Today.
“Iâ€m told there is strong mutual interest between Russell Westbrook and the Sacramento Kings. And the Kings have a need for a reserve point guard. They were 29th in bench points, 29th in bench assists last season. Russell Westbrook helps with that, and heâ€s got relationships across that organization. Domantas Sabonis, heâ€s close with, played with him. He played with Dennis Schroeder as well, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine. They have L.A. ties as well. BJ Armstrong, the new assistant general manager there. He knows BJ Armstrong from the agency side, and he does have respect with Scott Perry, their new general manager, and Doug Christie, their new head coach. Weâ€ll see if a deal gets done before the start of the season or during this upcoming year.â€
Charania is not the only one reporting this, well-connected Sacramento radio guy Carmichael Davecalled it “70/30 Russell Westbrook joins the Kings this year.†If the sides can figure out the money.
Sacramento does have an open roster spot and is about $5.4 million below the luxury tax line. Dennis Schroder will start at the point, but unless second-year player Devin Carter is ready to make a big leap up to backup point guard, that role falls more to Malik Monk, who is better as an off-ball two guard (but can play some point). Itâ€s easy to see where he slots into the roster, the question is money.
Westbrook, 37, averaged 13.3 points and 6.1 assists a game last season for the Nuggets, and he remains one of the highest energy players in the game. However, heâ€s not a consistent or efficient scorer at this point in his career, nor is he a great defender. He could fill a bench role, as he has done the past couple of seasons, but donâ€t be shocked if we get into the season before a team makes that offer.
Sacramento is also a roster that could look very different at the end of the season. This is a team open to trading DeRozan, LaVine or Sabonis if the deal is right. Where Westbrook would slot into all that is a question for coach Doug Christie.
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