The late hero! Why no one wants Westbrook?

In the summer of 2025, the NBA free market boom is gradually cooling down. After more than a month, the offseason trading plans of the league teams have been basically completed. What should be strengthened and what should be renewed. Except for a few players who are involved in trading rumors and are waiting for subsequent trading, the list of non-restricted free agents has basically been cleared.

However, on this list, there is another player whose name is quite dazzling: Russell Westbrook. He and Simmons have become the only two former All-Stars in the market to have not found a new home. The two were embarrassed to stay at the last position of the free agent list, and have also become the most eye-catching topic this year's offseason.

Compared with Simmons, Westbrook, a former MVP, nine-time All-Star, and three-time assists, still averaged 13.3 points in the 2024-25 season. On the surface, it seems that there is still oil in his fuel tank, but now in the near mid-August, Westbrook's new owner still has not appeared, and there are few rumors of signing a contract.

Why did Westbrook get to this point?

It is absolutely not fake to evaluate the Westbrook fuel tank. In the 2024-25 season, he played 75 games in the Nuggets, averaging 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 27.9 minutes. For a 36-year-old veteran, this is quite good data, which is enough to prove that he still has the ability to fight immediately. Even at some moments, he can still rely on game experience and enthusiasm to play special value for the team.

But for Westbrook, his question is not whether there is still oil, but whether these oils can push the team forward. Although he played 75 games last season, he only started 36 games, which can be seen some problems. The head coach’s positioning for him is no longer the main force of the team, but a functional veteran determined by the team’s needs. The explosive power he relied on for his life when he was young is no longer the same as before. Although he still dared to fight against the basket, his finishing efficiency and shooting percentage have significantly declined, and his average mistakes are even as high as 3.2 times.

What's more fatal is that his outside shooting has always been unstable. He averaged 3.9 three-point shots per game last season, with a shooting percentage of only 32.3%. Such data allows the opponent to shrink his defense line without hesitation and make his outside attack, thereby compressing the team's offensive space. The personal positive and negative values were even more upset, and the positive and negative values of last season were only -24.

It is obvious that when Westbrook is on the court, his team is often on the suppressed side.

It is very strange that he is not capable of going up or down. It is not that he is in an awkward position in his personal ability. For teams that are determined to compete for the championship, Westbrook lacks shooting and stable defense, and it is difficult to seamlessly integrate into the tactical system; while for rebuilding the team, his age and playing rules are not in line with the core training.

What's worse is that his organizational ability depends largely on the breakthrough transmission after the breakthrough, but as the explosive power declines, the opponent no longer shrinks with all his strength, and his pass threat is naturally greatly reduced. Coupled with the high error data over the years, it makes it difficult for him to gain the trust of the coach at critical moments. In addition to the offense, Westbrook also faces difficulties on the defensive end. As a 191 cm high defender, although he could make up for the shortcomings of defensive predictions by speed and confrontation when he was young, his lateral movement speed has dropped significantly, and the defensive pressure on the opponent's core ball holder is also weakening. In addition, his figure is at a disadvantage when facing the tall wings, which makes it difficult for him to lock the opponent directly, and he cannot misalign himself to switch to a higher and stronger front line.

In this way, Westbrook is currently in a difficult situation where neither side is willing to take over. The strong team in the championship thinks that he cannot make up for his shortcomings, and rebuilds the weak team and believes that he cannot become the core of the future, which directly leads him to become the last person left in the free market.

From the perspective of the external environment, the current NBA free market signing evaluation and trading market are slightly different, and it is essentially a trade-off between player functions and team costs. Under the new version of labor and capital rules, the team management will actuate each cent of salary when making decisions to evaluate whether the player can provide corresponding value at the best price.

For most teams, it seems like a good deal to sign Westbrook with the veteran's basic salary and let him serve as the core of the substitute lineup. After all, his experience, game attitude and on-field position are still there, and he can even revolve the game with several key impacts in a game.

But this seemingly worthwhile idea actually ignores a fundamental problem. Westbrook's functional characteristics determine that he is not a player who can easily integrate into the new team. If he wants to make his best value, he must make significant lineup tactical adjustments around his playing style, including equipting him with shooter teammates, more pick-and-roll screening partners, and even defensive teammates. This adjustment not only means that the team must change the original rotation logic, but will even affect the ball rights allocation and offensive mode of other core players.

For those teams that already have a mature tactical system and are determined to win the championship, the cost of this adjustment is obviously a bit too high. In order to change the offensive rhythm of the entire team, the subsequent benefits and stealth risks are obviously disproportionate. But on the other hand, for the team that is being rebuilt, although Westbrook can bring competitive culture and professional qualities in the locker room, his age style and the core blueprint for the team's long-term cultivation are not easy to fit.

So far, the only one in the market who extends an olive branch to Westbrook is the king who is also in a state of both performance and performance, which also reflects Westbrook's embarrassing position in the free market.

Speaking of Westbrook's current situation, it is hard not to think of Cameron Anthony six years ago.

Time goes back to the summer of 2019, and we witness Anthony fall into the same embarrassing situation. Although Anthony still had a good offense at that time, he was not interested in the free market. This ten-time All-Star and scoring super scorer was once the best singles machine in the league, but in the second half of his career, he also faced a cruel multiple-choice question.

Anthony was traded to the Thunder in 2017, partnering with Westbrook and Paul George to form the Big Three, but this cooperation was not successful. Anthony's style of play tends to play singles with the ball and is accustomed to attacking in the low-post elbow area; this is particularly bulky in modern basketball that emphasizes the rhythm of space. Although he can still contribute double-digit scores per game, the defensive issues and the demand for ball rights on the offensive end make it difficult for him to adapt compatible when he transforms into a substitute shooter.

In the 2018-19 season, after playing for the Rockets for a short time, Anthony was once forgotten by the league. His name was on the free agent list for a long time and no team was willing to take over. The summer of 2019 had no ball to play for even a whole season, and it was not until the Trail Blazers sent him an invitation in 2020 that they returned to the court. But even so, Anthony was no longer the same melon as before, and he had to retire after just a few seasons.

The cruel thing is that even so, Anthony has at least a stable three-pointer, a skill that will not be outdated in any era. He at least has the opportunity to continue his career with the correct role positioning. But Westbrook's situation is different. He never practiced his outside shooting into a reliable weapon. When the explosive power he relied on when he was young gradually declined, he lacked a skill as the last line of defense and basically lost the most basic guarantee of a foothold in the league.

Combined with the current situation of Anthony and Westbrook, it is obvious that in the increasingly cruel NBA, there is no longer so-called face for veterans. The league’s requirements for veterans are simple and cruel. Either they can maximize their value in limited roles or they are directly eliminated ruthlessly.

Looking at Westbrook's current situation, it is inevitable that it is sad. This violent defender who once changed the rhythm of the game with amazing explosive power and suppressed his opponents is now facing a crisis in the free market. We do not doubt that Westbrook has never given up on basketball. He has always been a good teammate in the eyes of those around him. As long as he can play, he always goes his best. Relying on his strong competitive spirit and infinite passion, he has left countless unforgettable moments for the fans.

At present, it is still unknown whether Westbrook will join the Kings with a basic salary in the new season. But what is certain is that joining the King will at least still allow him to stay, even if this choice may be further away from the championship dream.

But for fans, watching the former superstar gradually leave at dusk in his career, the pride of yearning to win the championship is slowly eroding with time, and all this is enough to see the cruel reality of professional sports, but no one can change it.