Kings' Reasons for Signing Russell Westbrook Revealed in New Report

After months of mutual interest, Russell Westbrook is set to be a Sacramento King. The veteran point guard will reportedly be signing with Sacramento on Thursday.

Like the Jonathan Kuminga and Dennis Schroder rumors, Sacramento’s interest in Westbrook had been one of the worst-kept secrets in the NBA. Sacramento was immediately linked to the veteran point guard to start free agency and has been mentioned seemingly once a week since. The Kings have been the only team to show notable interest in bringing the future Hall of Famer in for his 18th season.

BREAKING: Nine-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook has agreed on a deal to sign with the Sacramento Kings, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management tells ESPN. The 2017 league MVP enters his 18th NBA season. pic.twitter.com/Y0SrfKJrcf
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 15, 2025

The Athletic’s Sam Amick breaks down some of the process that led to this signing. Per Amick, new General Manager Scott Perry first signed veteran point guard Dennis Schroder to “unlock wing talent as well as their bigs.”

On top of the general Westbrook interest was, according to the Kings, a strong positional need. Per Amick, the Kings’ backup point guard spot had “been deemed even more glaring after a training camp where none of their current players impressed enough to win the job.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement of last year’s lottery pick, Devin Carter. This could have probably been implied from his name being so frequently floated in trade offers this summer, despite being the 13th overall pick just last year.

Apr 16, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Devin Carter (22) reacts after a play during the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

If Carter is truly as behind schedule as it sounds, then this makes sense. Sacramento needed point guard help badly after last season’s trade deadline. While the wing talent that will supposedly be unlocked by Schroder needs the ball to be at their best, it was abundantly clear they, individually and collectively, needed a table-setter of some sort to get them looks while not initiating offense themselves.

While no one has stood out from the current group, there were other forces pushing for this addition. Amick explained that several sources in Sacramento have said, “Several of the Kings’ veterans had been campaigning for Westbrook to be added since free agency began.”

Shams Charania adds to Amick’s point, specifically noting that “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 agency side, and shared respect for Scott Perry and Doug Christie.”

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 agency side, and shared respect for Scott Perry and Doug Christie. https://t.co/Fap7FjKaEc
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 15, 2025

This makes a lot of sense, as the NBA is very relationship-driven. Westbrook, an LA native, was represented by Wasserman (a notorious Los Angeles-based sports agency) until 2022. Sabonis is a key Wasserman client. Assistant General Manager BJ Armstrong was with Wasserman for many years, including some that overlapped with when Westbrook was represented by them. DeRozan is another proud LA native and (despite going to cross-town rival USC) has been close with Westbrook for many years. LaVine, like Westbrook, is a UCLA alum.

So, Westbrook clearly has numerous ties to the organization. These connections, paired with his desire to stay on the west coast near his family, and a glaring (according to the organization) need for a backup point guard, led to the perfect storm that is Sacramento bringing in Westbrook to help an already aging roster and push last year’s lottery pick further out of the rotation. The need for size on the wings seems to be neglected, as has been the case for years now.

Westbrook and the Kings open their season in one week when they play the Phoenix Suns.

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