Russell Westbrook is going to test the free agent market. Just don’t be shocked if he ends up back in Denver next season.
Westbrook is going to decline his $3.5 million player option and test the free agent market, reports NBA insider Marc Stein. That’s not really a surprise. Even if Westbrook were to re-sign with Denver on a minimum contract, under the new salary cap, that would be a slight raise to $3.6 million. He can then test the market and see if another team might offer him more.
Westbrook averaged 13.3 points and 6.1 assists last season for the Nuggets, playing in 75 games and starting 36 during a mid-season stretch, and was one of the players who saw a boost playing off the passing of Nikola Jokic. Considering expectations coming into the season, Westbrook exceeded them — he showed a good two-man game with Jokic, shot 43.9% on corner 3s, handled some playmaking responsibilities, and he played well in the first round of the playoffs against the Clippers. It was also the Westbrook roller coaster — he can be brilliant one minute and make head-scratching decisions the next, and he is, at this point in his career, an inefficient scorer. That said, he was popular with his teammates and brought an energy to Denver that was a positive influence.
Westbrook was a great value for the Nuggets on a minimum contract, but could he get more elsewhere? Probably not, but nobody can blame him for at least seeing what is out there. If no better offer arises, expect him to re-sign in Denver, or with another team that has championship aspirations.
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