It’s August 28, 2025, and Russell Westbrook remains a free agent. Some might look at that statement and wonder: Why isn’t he gaining any interest around the league? Perhaps it’s the NBA’s growing youth movement, where younger players are favored over the heroes we once knew and loved. Others might argue Westbrook simply doesn’t have it anymore — that he brings no real value to any team willing to take a chance on him.
While some of those claims hold weight depending on who you ask, none of them have stopped the Sacramento Kings from showing interest. Over the past few weeks, multiple reports have pointed to Westbrook signing with Sacramento, making the soon-to-be 37-year-old point guard the next man up after the team moved on from De’Aaron Fox.
But those same reports have raised plenty of questions, especially with the mention that the Kings might need to trade Malik Monk. Monk, a 27-year-old shooting guard who shifted into a point guard role for much of last season, is coming off a career year. He averaged 17.2 points and 5.6 assists across 65 games, starting in 45 of them.
The Kings keep making their own messes
Now, the Kings appear to be doing their best impression of a franchise self-sabotage, as they continue hinting at dealing Monk in favor of Westbrook. Nobody is saying Westbrook is a bad player, or even one incapable of impacting a roster. In fact, of the top 15 players in total assists last season, Westbrook was the only bench player to crack the list, recording 457 dimes across 76 games.
Still, the contract Westbrook is likely to receive will be a one-year veteran’s minimum — essentially a stopgap deal to keep his career alive for at least one more season. Monk, on the other hand, remains under contract for the next two years, with a player option for 2027–28. Unless Sacramento can somehow get equal or better value in return for Monk (which feels unlikely), swapping him out for Westbrook would only bury the Kings deeper.
To Westbrook’s credit, he bounced back last season in Denver after a rough stint with the Clippers, averaging 13.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals. He meshed well with Nikola Jokić and provided value during Jamal Murray’s injury absence. In the Nuggets’ first-round playoff series against the Clippers, Westbrook scored in double figures in six of the seven games.
Again, Westbrook is still a capable player. But is his value greater than Monk’s — especially on a Kings team that only got older at the February 2025 trade deadline? The answer is no. Yes, Westbrook can fill the point guard role, but there’s no guarantee he’ll mesh with Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, or Zach LaVine.
And without Mike Brown on the sidelines, Sacramento might be headed right back to its old ways: a franchise on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs.