Russell Westbrook has reportedly agreed to join the Sacramento Kings four months after leaving the Denver Nuggets and becoming an unrestricted free agent.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the nine-time NBA All-Star’s agent Jeff Schwartz has confirmed he will enter his 18th NBA season in Sacramento.
Westbrook is said to have maintained communication with the Kings throughout the offseason amid the team’s search for depth at point guard, before the two parties agreed terms one week out from their 2025-26 opener against the Phoenix Suns.
The New York Times is reporting that Westbrook will be signing a ‘Exhibit 10’ contract – a one-year, minimum salary agreement that isn’t guaranteed.
A minimum contract, which was introduced as part of the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement, can also include a bonus of up to $75,000 that will be rewarded if a player spends at least 60 days with a team’s G-League affiliate after being waived.
The 36-year-old, who was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2017, enjoyed 12 memorable years with the Oklahoma City Thunder before stints with the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and most recently the Nuggets.
Nine-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook has reportedly agreed to join the Sacramento Kings
The 36-year-old is set to link up with good friend DeMar DeRozan in Sacramento this season
He spent just one season in Denver, recording 13.3 points, 6.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game, before he declined his $3.4million player option and entered free agency in June.
His only NBA Finals appearance came back in 2012 with Oklahoma, and it ended in defeat against a Miami Heat side inspired by future icon LeBron James.
Westbrook already has close relationships with Sacramento stars Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, while he knows newly-appointed assistant general manager BJ Armstrong from the agency side.
Charania also highlighted his ‘respect’ for GM Scott Perry and head coach Doug Christie.
According to former NBA player Danny Green, he opted to decline his player option and leave the Nuggets because the team didn’t plan to include him in the rotation.
‘What I heard is that they weren’t planning to play him at all this year,’ Green said on his ‘Inside The Green Room’ podcast last week. ‘Even behind certain guys that he should be above.’
Westbrook will primarily serve as a backup point guard for the Kings after Dennis Schroder, his former Oklahoma teammate, was signed in the offseason to become their new starter.
Following De’Aaron Fox’s trade with San Antonio last season, and the arrival of longtime NBA executive Perry, Sacramento added Schroder in free agency to help unlock wing players Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk as well as primary bigsSabonis and Keegan Murray.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .