With Russell Westbrook fully signed to Sacramento, people are left wondering how this improves the Kings' chances this season. As it turns out, that's not what the front office expects from him. Their focus this season is on rebuilding the culture over everything else, something fans might not like.
The Kings have long had problems with a roster heavily balanced towards guards. It goes back as far as drafting Tyrese Haliburton when they already had De'Aaron Fox on the team. Surprisingly, signing point guard Russell Westbrook hasn't really fixed that issue.
With the Kings chasing Westbrook for most of the summer, anyone paying attention was left wondering why. It's nice to see Russell get another season on the court, but having him on board wasn't likely to help the Kings win. It turns out that wasn't the point.
Kings want to change the culture
According to the press release put out by the Kings' front office to officially announce Westbrook's signing, general manager Scott Perry made the reason for his hiring clear. Specifically, bringing him in was about changing the team's identity, though he didn't specify what that identity would be.
Kings officially ink Russell Westbrook: pic.twitter.com/6nijI4QHSG
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) October 16, 2025
Naturally, Perry cited Westbrook's commitment to winning games, which is quite literally every team's goal. But the most interesting comments in the release were about how Russell is there to help them change the mentality of the organization.
"Russell embodies the identity were striving for in Sacramento."Scott Perry
Essentially, this season is more about culture-building in Sacramento than anything else. The question is what that culture is and how Westbrooks gets them there, particularly if it is Doug Christie's defense-first focus he has been pushing since the start of training camp.
The Kings culture remains undefined
What identity Perry is talking about remains to be seen. If the target culture is winning, then it's hard to see how that plays out, considering the roster is still an unbalanced mess with a strange assortment of pieces that don't really fit together.
Again, every team wants a winning culture. How a team gets there is what matters, and Doug Christie's defense-first focus will help the Kings win. But the Kings need to acquire more players with a defensive mindset to make that work, which Westbrook doesn't have.
In reality, Perry and the front office are setting up an excuse for a losing season. If the whole thing goes south, they can say the goal was building the culture, not winning games or championships. Maybe that's true, but it's little consolation for fans looking for something more.