Russell Westbrook, Kings Reportedly Have ‘Strong Mutual Interest’

Free agent guard Russell Westbrook and the Sacramento Kings have “strong mutual interest” toward getting a deal done, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Friday’s edition of NBA Today.

“There is strong mutual interest between Russell Westbrook and the Sacramento Kings,” Charania said. “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 he’s got relationships across that organization. Domantas Sabonis, he’s close with, played with him. He played with Dennis Schroder as well. DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, they have L.A. ties as well.”

Shams: There is strong mutual interest between Westbrook and the Sacramento Kings

Mentions the relationships Russ has across the Kings org. Is likely waiting on a deal there. pic.twitter.com/LnRCAeimwM

— ᴇʀᴀ 🕷️ (@TheWestbrookEra) October 10, 2025

“B.J. Armstrong, the new assistant general manager there, he knows B.J. Armstrong from the agency side, and he does have respect with Scott Perry, their new general manager, and Doug Christie, their new head coach. We’ll see if a deal gets done before the start of the season or during this upcoming year,” Charania continued.

Westbrook, who turns 37 years old on Nov. 12, is a nine-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA member, a former league MVP, and two-time scoring champion who was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.

The 6-foot-4 guard is the NBA’s all-time leader in career triple-doubles (203). He also averaged a triple-double in four of his 17 seasons and led the league in assists three times.

Kings Are Most Likely Destination For Russell Westbrook

ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported in August that “league sources consider the Sacramento Kings the most likely destination for Westbrook,” adding that if the UCLA product signs, he’d play a bench role like he did with the Denver Nuggets.

Westbrook would serve as a reserve after Dennis Schroder signed a three-year, $45 million deal with Sacramento in June. The Kings would also be Westbrook’s sixth team in the last seven seasons.

Since his departure from the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019, he’s played for the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and most recently, the Nuggets.

In addition, Westbrook would join fell guards Malik Monk, Zach LaVine, and Keon Ellis in Sacramento’s backcourt. The Kings traded star guard De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs last season.

In 75 games (36 starts) with the Nuggets last season, Westbrook averaged a career-low 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 27.9 minutes per contest while shooting 44.9% from the floor and 32.3% from deep.

Westbrook underwent surgery on his right hand in May to repair multiple ligament tears. The California native had a couple of fingers heavily taped during Denver’s playoff run.

The Kings will visit the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 22 to open their 2025-26 season.