NBA Market: Russell Westbrook will play for the Sacramento Kings

Russell Westbrook will play his 18th season in the NBA with a new destination: the Sacramento Kings. The nine-time All-Star and 2017 MVP has reached an agreement with the Californian franchise, as confirmed by his agent Jeff Schwartz (Excel Sports Management) to ESPN.

NBA Market: Throughout the summer, Westbrook and the Kings stayed in touch while the veteran player patiently awaited in free agency. Finally, the deal is sealed thanks to the connections he holds with several team members: he has a good relationship with Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine, shared the locker room with Dennis Schroder, and has a rapport with assistant general manager BJ Armstrong, as well as mutual respect with general manager Scott Perry and coach Doug Christie. Westbrook is expected to officially join the team this week.

The arrival of the veteran point guard bolsters one of the Kings' biggest deficiencies last season: the depth of the bench. Sacramento ranked 28th in points and 29th in assists per game from the second unit, and Westbrook can play both a starting role and a spark off the bench. His intensity and energy align with Perry's philosophy he aims to establish in his first year as general manager: a team with high motor and constant effort, values that Westbrook has embodied throughout his career.

In the previous season with the Denver Nuggets, the player appeared in 75 games (36 as a starter) averaging 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals, shooting 44.9% from the field. Additionally, he shot 52% on two-pointers, the best percentage of his career. Over the past three seasons, he came off the bench in 145 out of 216 games, finishing in the top 10 of the Sixth Man of the Year voting each time.

37 Springs and Much Behind

At 37 years old —turning in November—, Westbrook continues to make his mark in the league's history. He holds the record for most triple-doubles (203) and is one of only two players, alongside LeBron James, to reach 25,000 points, 8,000 rebounds, and 8,000 assists. With 26,205 points, he needs 506 more to surpass Oscar Robertson and become the point guard with the most points in history. Furthermore, he ranks eighth in the all-time assists list and is 75 assists away from reaching the 10,000 mark.

Since leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019, where he became a legend, Westbrook has had stints with Houston, Washington, the Lakers, the Clippers, and Denver. With the Kings, he begins his sixth chapter in the league, tasked with bringing experience, energy, and leadership to a team aiming to take a step forward in the competitive Western Conference.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Mercado NBA: Russell Westbrook jugará en Sacramento Kings