When Russell Westbrook left the Denver Nuggets and joined the Sacramento Kings, fans weren't sure what to make of the whole situation. All they knew is that he turned his player option down. It turns out the Nuggets told him they didn't want him back and asked him to turn that option down.
Now in his 18th NBA season, it's safe to say that Westbrook is a verifiable legend and a future Hall of Famer. He is a former NBA Most Valuable Player, a nine-time NBA All-Star, a two-time NBA All-Star Game MVP, a two-time scoring champion, and a three-time assists leader.
On top of all of that, he holds the NBA record for the most career triple-doubles in history, having collected well over 200 at this point. Westbrook also has 524 double-doubles in his career, but no one seems to be talking about that as much. And, in case you forgot, he has an Olympic Gold Medal.
The only major accomplishment Russell has left is winning an NBA Championship. As such, it seemed odd that he left a real contender like the Nuggets led by the greatest player in the league, Nikola Jokic. As it turns out, there's a reason for that and it definitely worked out for the Kings.
The Nuggets asked Westbrook to leave
Russell had a player option for the 2025-2026 season, but the Nuggets apparently asked him to turn it down and leave. Their front office didn't want to be in the Russell Westbrook business anymore, so he obliged them. It both was and wasn't his decision to move on.
Westbrook confirm why he didn’t return to the Nuggets:
— Beastbrook (@Beastbr00k0) November 4, 2025
“They didn’t want me back.. They told me to not pick up the player option. I don’t go anywhere I’m not wanted. I don’t need to.”
Nuggets didn’t want Russ back after he won them a playoff series 🤔💔pic.twitter.com/rAsoBrEccN
Whatever the Nuggets' logic was, it has certainly worked out well for the Kings. He's playing good basketball for Sacramento, averaging 13.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. He even added a pair of double-doubles to his collection in the last two games.
Since his 11 season run with OKC, Russell has bounced around the league, spending time with the Rockets, Wizards, Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets, and now the Kings. For the first time in years, he seemed happy playing when he was with the Nuggets. It was sad to see that end so quickly.
Now, Westbrook is playing good basketball for a team that wants him there and he looks like he's having fun doing it. He may not win a title with the Kings, but at least he gets to prove the haters wrong and show that he's still got plenty of gas left in the tank.