Russell Westbrook Declining Option With Nuggets To Enter Free Agency

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook is declining his $3.4 million player option for the 2023-26 season, which will make him a free agent on June 30, a source told ESPN.

The 36-year-old former MVP averaged 13.3 points on 44.9% shooting, 6.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 27.9 minutes over 75 games for the Nuggets this season. He started 36 games in his first campaign for Denver, the most for the veteran since 2021-22.

Westbrook underwent surgery on his right hand last month to repair multiple ligament tears, the team announced, though Westbrook stated in his personal newsletter that he was having surgery to fix “two breaks that happened during the season.” He is expected to resume full offseason training this summer following the procedure.

Westbrook has until June 29 to reach a decision about his player option. After the season ended, he told reporters in the Nuggets’ locker room that he hadn’t made up his mind yet, after circling the room to say his potential farewells to each of his teammates. If he’s indeed gone next season, Jalen Pickett is the in-house option to replace him on the depth chart at backup point guard.

The Nuggets could seek another experienced ball-handler in free agency as well. As with most bench players, Westbrook often excelled when sharing the floor with star center Nikola Jokic but struggled when Jokic was off the floor.

The two-time NBA scoring champion boasts career averages of 21.2 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in 1,237 games (1,075 starts) with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Nuggets.

He is the career leader in triple-doubles (203) and ranks eighth in NBA history in assists (9,925) and 23rd in points (26,205), but is still seeking his first NBA championship.