Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook declined his $3.4 million player option for the 2025-26 NBA season, effectively entering the upcoming free agency period on June 30, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN's Shams Charania on Friday (June 13).
Westbrook, 36, averaged 13.3 points (44.9% shooting), 6.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds while averaging 27.9 minutes in 75 games and making 36 starts, the most since the 2021-22 season, for the Nuggets during the 2024-25 regular season. The Nuggets announced that the 2017 NBA Most Valuable Player Award winner underwent surgery on his right hand to repair multiple ligament tears in May, however, Westbrook clarified that the procedure was to fix "two breaks that happened during the season."
Westbrook is expected to be cleared to participate in full offseason training during the summer, according to ESPN. The former UCLA standout is a two-time NBA scoring champion, a nine-time All-Star and averaged a triple-double during the 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2020-21 seasons, having been the only player in NBA history to have achieved the feat during two different seasons.
Westbrook enters his 18th NBA season averaging 21.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists for his NBA career, which includes 11 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, as well as two with the Los Angeles Lakers, two with the Los Angeles Clippers, one with the Washington Wizards, one with the Houston Rockets and one with the Nuggets.