Miami Heat Reportedly Facing Decision on 9x NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook

One of the handful of questions still remaining this offseason is where future Hall of Fame point guard and former MVP Russell Westbrook will end up for his 18th NBA season. Westbrook spent the 2024-25 campaign with the Denver Nuggets, where he averaged 13.3 points per game in 73 appearances with the team.

Westbrook has received interest from a few potential suitors this offseason, most notably the Sacramento Kings, although the Miami Heat and New York Knicks have also emerged as potential suitors. However, according to the latest from Miami-based reporter Ira Winderman, the Heat are unlikely to acquire Westbrook unless a surprise trade is made to clear the way for the nine-time All-Star.

ASK IRA: Would Russell Westbrook make any sense for the Heat? https://t.co/1EEXFcns5J From earlier.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) August 4, 2025

"For all the energy and perhaps leadership Russell Westbrook can provide, it is time for those who have been in place to take stock of inspiring and motivating," Winderman wrote. "For all that Russell Westbrook did or didn’t do last season with the Nuggets, there are limits to making it work in the NBA with a wing who can’t shoot. Don’t see the fit, including from a salary-cap/luxury-tax perspective.

"Plus, one would think Westbrook would want to move to more of a win-now situation, not a play-in team hoping for more. As it is, any guard brought in most likely would set up behind Tyler Herro, Norman Powell and Davion Mitchell, so not sure a proven veteran would embrace being a fourth guard."

One of the greatest point guards in NBA history

Westbrook has largely become a journeyman since being traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Houston Rockets in 2019. Westbrook spent a season in Houston and a season with the Wizards before spending the next three seasons in Los Angeles between stints with the Clippers and Lakers.

Russell Westbrook: "I may be bias, but I don't think there's anything cooler in a basketball game to get a triple double" pic.twitter.com/T7KYXygvUe
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) July 17, 2025

Westbrook has averaged a triple-double across an entire season four times in his career, last doing so for the Wizards in 2020-21.

In his MVP-winning 2016-17 campaign, Westbrook became the first player since Oscar Robertson 55 years prior to average a triple-double over the course of a season with 31.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game. Nikola Jokic became the most recent player to achieve the feat, doing so for the first time this past season despite falling short of his fourth MVP award.

With the Heat likely out of the Westbrook sweepstakes, the focus continues to remain primarily on the Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks. The Kings are probably the favorite, but Westbrook's desire to play for a contender leaves New York a chance.

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One of the greatest point guards in NBA history

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