Former NBA MVP Struggling to Find Team Ahead of 2025-26 Season

Unfortunately, there is a sad side to every sports league, and the NBA is no different. Father Time always calls (unless you’re LeBron James), and careers often deteriorate faster than expected, even for the greatest basketball players. While some guys experience a gradual decline, others hit a wall at some point in their careers and are never the same.

Oftentimes, the players who rely predominantly on their athletic gifts to gain an advantage over opponents are the ones who leave us the quickest. Hyperathletic guards like Derrick Rose, John Wall, and Penny Hardaway all had shorter primes than expected because their bodies began to break down in their 20s, and they were never able to adjust.

On the flip side, stars such as Nikola Jokic and Stephen Curry will be elite late into their 30s because their game relies mostly on skill and basketball intelligence rather than explosive movements.

Well, one of the most beloved superstars of the last generation in the NBA may be closer to retirement than we thought just a few months ago, when his team was deadlocked in a seven-game war against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Russell Westbrook’s FA Market is “Dry”

Russell Westbrook remains unsigned as of August 29th, which is even more concerning considering how quiet of an NBA off-season it has been. Teams simply don’t have the resources to sign many players because of the punitive apron penalties under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

What’s worrying is that Westbrook has shown a willingness to play for the minimum, and several contenders are starved for depth. Only the Sacramento Kings have shown real interest in Westbrook’s services, but they’d have to move one of their current guards, and they don’t plan on doing so.

With the season starting on October 21st and training camps beginning a month before that, there’s a real possibility that Russ enters the 2025-26 campaign as a free agent. Now, there’s a good chance that he’ll be signed by a desperate team at some point during the season, but there’s no guarantee of that.

Whatever ends up happening with Westbrook’s future, it’s jarring to see an NBA legend and fan-favorite fall from grace so hard in just a few short years. He placed 11th in MVP voting as he averaged a triple-double in Washington in 2020-21. In the four seasons since, Russ has suited up for three different squads and has been relegated to the bench.

While his decline has been gradual as he’s entered his late 30s, the former MVP had a solid, if inconsistent, year in Denver as a bench/starter hybrid. It was certainly not expected that the 2024-25 campaign would be his last.

Unfortunately for Westbrook, he simply doesn’t fit many winning roles in the modern NBA. Now that he’s a shell of his former self as an athlete, he cannot adequately cover up for his glaring weaknesses. Russ is an extremely poor spot-up shooter who has questionable shot selection while also being a turnover machine. It’s a combination of flaws that are unacceptable in 2025.

While he had a solid year in Denver, meshing much better with Jokic than expected, the Nuggets’ season ended with Westbrook being left open for three-point shots that he’s never been able to make. His lack of a jumper allows defenses to guard five-on-four, which is a problem that even the league’s best player can’t overcome.

Because of this, it’s hard to see how Westbrook finds a home as a rotation player on a contender. He’s still a plus-athlete who is a ferocious defender, so he has some value. It’s not to say that the former superstar is even a bad player; he’s actually still great at certain aspects of basketball. Unfortunately, the modern game has passed him by, and his market is reflecting that.

Hopefully Russ will be able to play in 2025-26 for a rebuilding team as a ticket attraction at the very least. Even at 36 years old, he remains an entertaining watch due to his never-ending energy and passion for the game, which holds a lot of weight for a bad team that’s just trying to fill their arena every night.

While playing out the string for a losing squad is a sad end to one of the last generation’s defining careers, it would be more dignified than leaving the league as an unsigned free agent. As NBA fans, we hope that Denver’s Game 7 defeat in Westbrook’s old stomping grounds isn’t the last we see of the legendary point guard.

Westbrook Deserves His Flowers

For all the jokes and criticism Westbrook has faced in his career, from the “Westbrick” nickname to people doubting his 2017 MVP, he’s one of the most influential players of the last generation. He’s a fan-favorite, and rightfully so. When he does hang up the shoes for the last time, Westbrook will be an undisputed Hall of Famer.

Russ has quietly compiled one of the most impressive statistical resumes of all-time. He’s a nine-time All-Star and All-NBA member, a two-time scoring champ and three-time assists leader, and won the 2017 MVP as the first player to average a triple-double since Oscar Robertson. He’s a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.

The UCLA product averaged a triple-double for four of five seasons from 2017-2021, setting new statistical benchmarks that few will ever approach. He placed in the top ten of MVP voting six times. Simply put, Westbrook is one of the best players of the last era of NBA basketball, alongside LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and his former teammate Kevin Durant.

However, Westbrook’s legacy goes far beyond his resume. He’s a legend who kids should and do idolize for his never-ending passion for the game, which is rare these days. Russ never cheated the sport one time; he always gave every second he spent on the floor his everything, and he did it for 17 seasons.

Westbrook was one of the league’s most durable superstars. To this day, he’s only played fewer than 57 games once, in 2013-14. Fans shouldn’t take him for granted, as we might have seen his last game ever.