The Sacramento Kings didn’t have the loudest offseason, but they recently made a roster move that could pay dividends down the line.
On Tuesday, the organization signed a former Los Angeles Lakers point guard and MVP to help DeMar DeRozan.
“BREAKING: Nine-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook has agreed on a deal to sign with the Sacramento Kings,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday. “The 2017 league MVP enters his 18th NBA season.”
“Westbrook and the Kings maintained communication all offseason as Sacramento searched for point guard depth. Westbrook has bonds with Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine, history with BJ Armstrong on the agency side, and shared respect for Scott Perry and Doug Christie.”
Westbrook, who played 1.5 seasons alongside LeBron James in Los Angeles before getting traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, joined the Denver Nuggets for the 2024-25 season.
The UCLA product has always been known to make reckless decisions with the basketball, which opened the door for extreme scrutiny during his lone season in Denver (he averaged 3.2 turnovers per game).
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However, Westbrook did provide the Nuggets with the one thing they were lacking entering the year: an energizer bunny off the bench who can help shift the momentum in Denver’s favor when needed.
The 2008 first-round pick contributed 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per contest, shooting 44.9% from the field and 32.3% from long range.
If Westbrook can embrace a similar role with the Kings this season, he’ll likely be productive from start to finish.
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