Russell Westbrook Reveals What Led To His Departure From the Denver Nuggets

Russell Westbrook's career appeared to be revived with the Denver Nuggets a season ago, with the team and their fans embracing the former MVP as one of their own. However, this off-season, despite having an option in his contract, Westbrook opted out, instead hoping for a bigger role in free agency.

While there was a lack of interest in Westbrook for a long time, he was long linked to the Sacramento Kings, and right before the 2025/26 NBA regular season began, he finally landed there as a free agent. Now, the veteran has opened up on the process that led him to departing Denver, revealing the team told him not to pick up his option, so he decided he didn't want to be somewhere that he wasn't wanted.

“The truth is that they didn't want me back... They don't want me. That's OK. Somebody else do... They told me not to [pick it up]… I don't go anywhere I'm not wanted.”

Clearly, the Nuggets had other plans, as the team opened up a bigger role for Christian Braun while bringing in the likes of Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Cam Johnson to bolster this roster around superstar big man Nikola Jokic.

While a return to Denver for Westbrook could have worked out for both parties, ultimately, it's clear that it just wasn't meant to be, and while he keeps getting asked about Denver, it's clear that the former MVP has moved on and is excited about Sacramento.