RUSSELL Westbrook has declined his $3.4 million player option for next year.
The veteran point guard will be a free agent from June 30.
Russell Westbrook is leaving the Denver Nuggets[/caption]
Westbrook, 36, signed for the Denver Nuggets 12 months ago after leaving the Los Angeles Clippers.
The former MVP carved out a big role under former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.
He appeared in 75 regular season match ups, averaging 13 points, six assists and five rebounds in 28 minutes per game.
Malone, 53, was fired with just three regular season games remaining.
One contributing factor was said to be the former championship-winning coach’s tendency to lean on Westbrook, rather than recent Nuggets draft picks Jalen Pickett, Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther.
Nevertheless, Westbrook continued to feature heavily in the playoffs under David Adelman.
The nine-time NBA All-Star produced some productive performances in the Nuggets’ seven-game round one series victory over the Clippers.
But he struggled as Denver fell valiantly to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semi-finals.
In recent years Westbrook, who has earned around $345m during his NBA career, has largely had to embrace a bench role.
But last season he started 36 games, his most in three seasons.
Westbrook played through significant hand injuries during his time with the Nuggets.
Following his team’s playoff exit, Westbrook underwent surgery to fix “multiple” ligament tears.
Despite going under the knife, the NBA veteran is anticipated to return to full health during the offseason.
Westbrook is a two-time NBA scoring champion.
He joined the Clippers as a free agent in February 2023, having been waived by the Utah Jazz following a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.
In July 2024, the Clippers traded Westbrook back to the Jazz in exchange for Kris Dunn.
Ironically, this led to the 2017 league MVP being waived AGAIN by Utah.
Westbrook was then free to sign a two-year, $6.8m deal with the Nuggets, including a player option ahead of the second season.
The decorated star appeared to strike up a good rapport with Denver superstar Nikola Jokic.
But despite this, he will now be entering the open market once again on June 30.
