Mr. Triple Double needs a home. Here are the three best free-agent destinations for veteran guard and nine-time All-NBA honoree Russell Westbrook, following his exit from the Denver Nuggets.
Russell Westbrook has played for six teams in his NBA career. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
It’s difficult to get a gauge on the Bucks. They waived star point guard Damian Lillard two months after he tore his Achilles in the postseason but also signed center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million deal. With Giannis Antetokounmpo still in the building – for now – the only fair assumption to make about Milwaukee is that it’s trying to remain a competitive team; the 36-year-old Westbrook fits that aim.
With Lillard gone, Milwaukee has an enormous scoring vacancy to fill, which Turner’s perimeter shooting will partially but not completely fill. Westbrook would be instant offense off head coach Doc Rivers’ bench. He provides a vibrant ball-handler who attacks the rack with bad intentions, can handle the rock in the halfcourt and serve as a viable starting point guard, if needed.
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A full season of Kyle Kuzma being in the fold likely yields a more cohesive starting five around Antetokounmpo, but this is a season where the mantra should be “the more, the merrier.” Westbrook adds another capable scorer who can drop 20 points on any given night for a Bucks franchise that’s trying to keep the candle burning.
What could stop the Bucks from pursuing Westbrook, though, is them potentially feeling that the addition of Cole Anthony and Kevin Porter Jr. being healthy suffices for wing scoring, as well as the potential for growth from young guards like AJ Green and Ryan Rollins.
Russell Westbrook was the 2016-17 NBA MVP. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
One year ago, the Celtics were the defending NBA champions and paying everybody on their roster. Now, they’re a team coming off a second-round playoff exit that lost its star player, Jayson Tatum, for the 2025-26 season to an Achilles tear, and traded away Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday to shed long-term payroll. Plus, Al Horford remains a free agent. Westbrook would be a bargain-bin addition for a team needing a boost.
Yes, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard remain present and will inevitably have larger roles, while Anfernee Simons – who the Celtics acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers in their trade return for Holiday – is a plausible scorer in his own right. At the same time, Westbrook could be himself on the Celtics, coming off the bench as the second unit’s leading scorer.
For perspective, the departures/absences of Tatum, Porzingis, Holiday and Horford means that 66.4 points per game from last season is gone. Granted, Simons, who averaged 19.3 points per game last season, will fill in some of that production for Boston. Relying on being a dominant defensive team – Boston was second in the NBA in opponent points per game and opponent field goal percentage last season – that can stretch the floor – Boston led the NBA with 48.2 3-point attempts per game last season – won’t work for the Celtics in 2025-2026. They need variety and, more than anything, capable and willing scorers. Westbrook fits the bill.
What could stop the Celtics from pursuing Westbrook, though, is them potentially feeling that they have enough veteran guards in their rotation, making the veteran a superfluous addition.
Russell Westbrook is a two-time scoring champion. (Photo by Isaac Wasserman/Clarkson Creative/Getty Images)
The Pacers reached Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. Then, they lost Tyrese Haliburton for all of next season due to a torn Achilles and Turner left Indiana for Milwaukee in free agency. It was literally one of the most consequential championship losses in sports in recent memory. But this is a prideful Pacers core, and they have reason to believe they can remain a respectable opponent in the Eastern Conference, especially with so many other teams like the Celtics suffering through their own injuries. Westbrook is what Indiana needs.
With Haliburton out and Turner gone, Rick Carlisle will be on a continual hunt for scoring. Westbrook gives the Pacers three things: 1) a proven scorer, 2) a capable starting point guard and 3) a tenacious player who can create headaches for the opponent.
T.J. McConnell and Andrew Nembhard will presumably assume ball-handling duties in the team’s starting backcourt. Off the bench? That’s anyone’s guess, which is where Westbrook enters the mix. He would lead the second unit, attacking the rack and getting to the line, while providing a player with a wealth of postseason experience.
If Carlisle thinks a change is needed or injury presents itself, Westbrook can slide into the starting five. Westbrook thrived in a split sixth-man-starter role with the Nuggets last season, averaging 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 27.9 minutes per contest (75 regular-season games, 36 starts); he solely came off the bench in the postseason.
The Pacers are trying to hold their own against the odds, and Westbrook wants to keep plugging away. This would be a mutually beneficial partnership.
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