Seven years and seven teams! Why did Westbrook fall from MVP to signing with the King with a minimum salary?

Translator's Note: The original article was published in BleacherReport. The data in the article are as of the time of publication of the original article (October 16, local time). The dates and times involved are all local time. The opinions expressed in this article have nothing to do with the translator or the platform.

Thank God, Russell Westbrook's long free agency career is finally over.

According to ESPN reporter Shams Charania, less than a week before the start of the 2025-26 regular season, the Kings and the future Hall of Famer reached a one-year veteran's minimum salary contract.

The only question that gets answered is which team Westbrook will play for this season. But other problems remain.

First of all, why did it take so long for Westbrook to be signed?

Is he fit for a king? What is his role there?

Considering that this is his sixth team since leaving the Thunder (a period of nearly seven years), what does this mean for his place in history?

The answer to the first and most pressing question is multifaceted.

When Westbrook declined to exercise his player option with the Nuggets for the 2025-26 season, he must have thought that more teams would be interested in him this summer.

He and his agency may have misjudged the evolution of the league and his place in it.

In the past few years, NBA players' jump shooting ability has become more and more important. Players with poor jump shots can easily be ignored by the defense, allowing opponents to devote more defensive energy to other players.

Westbrook has been receiving this treatment for some time.

So, even though Westbrook had a statistically productive season for the Nuggets in 2024-25 - averaging 27.9 minutes per game, 13.3 points and 6.1 assists, and finishing seventh in Sixth Man of the Year voting - the Nuggets have no interest in keeping him with the team.

When Westbrook is on the court, the Nuggets are better by 0.1 points per 100 possessions, but when he is off the court, the team is better by 8.4 points per 100 possessions.

This discrepancy is at least partially due to Westbrook's inability to draw defensive attention as a shooter (although that doesn't stop him from continuing to take shots). And this is certainly nothing new.

In the playoffs where defense is more targeted, Westbrook's negative impact has lasted for many years and has been reflected in various situations.

Since the 2017-18 season (counting from when he played for the Thunder), Westbrook has played a total of 1,499 minutes in the playoffs. His team has been outscored by 9.6 points per 100 possessions during those minutes (compared to a 1.1 point per 100 possessions deficit when he's off the court).

Westbrook is one of the players in NBA history who plays the hardest, is the best at creating highlight moments, and is the best at racking up statistics, but his aggressiveness often leads to chaos. Under controllable circumstances, this can be a good thing.

But for Westbrook, that could mean turnovers, poor shot selection, ill-advised fouls and a lack of focus on defense.

If all of these issues arise when paired with LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard, as well as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in Denver, it's hard to imagine things suddenly getting better for him with the Kings.

Two of the Kings’ three highest-paid players—Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan—can’t draw defensive attention as outside shooters. The same goes for their new point guard Dennis Schroder.

When Westbrook is on the court with two or three of the above players, the onus on Zach LaVine and Malik Monk to space the floor becomes too great.

Westbrook is now at least the fifth player on the Kings' roster who sometimes needs to dominate the ball to be effective, and it's hard to imagine how that combination could work.

If Westbrook starts, the space on the court may appear extremely crowded. If he came off the bench, he might be able to post some gaudy traditional numbers, but the Kings' second unit around him is filled with too much unproven talent.

Regardless of Westbrook's role, the Kings' ceiling may be a playoff exit. That was the case before he joined.

If they end up stopping here, it will be his sixth consecutive team to suffer a loss or end the season early.

And it is easy for people to regard Westbrook as a player who has bounced around many teams, or as a cancer on a team competing for the championship.

In fact, he is neither.

The careers of many NBA legends have ended in less than glorious ways. Kobe Bryant shot just 36.4% from the field in his final two seasons. Allen Iverson once wore a Grizzlies jersey. Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon also played for the Magic and Raptors respectively.

This list can go on and on.

The decline may have lasted longer for Westbrook than for others, but he should always be remembered for his time with the Thunder, his accomplishments of averaging a triple-double for five consecutive seasons, and the competitive spirit he displayed with every team he played on.

It would be great if he suddenly developed a more stable jump shot, played consistent and stable defense, and led the Kings to achieve results beyond expectations in the 2025-26 season. If not, Westbrook is and will remain one of the top 50 or so players in NBA history.