The NBA’s preseason games have begun, and many wonder why Russell Westbrook remains without a team. Westbrook is coming off a 2024-25 season where he seemingly resurrected his spiralling career by averaging 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game in 75 games played for the Denver Nuggets, including 36 starts.
However, after declining his $3.4 million player option with the Nuggets, no team has come forward to offer Russ a contract. However, while that is a big surprise to many, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins claims that it’s something he warned Russ about back when Westbrook was still playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.
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“This very situation, this moment right here that we’re in, Russell Westbrook not being on a roster, is what hurt me and Russell Westbrook’s personal relationship. Cuz sometime, three to four years ago, when he was on the Lakers’ roster, reports came back to me from general managers around the league and I said it on television that “Hey man, Russ got to be careful now. The word around the league is that if he doesn’t be careful, temper it down, he might find himself out of the league,”said Perkins on the recent episode of Road Trippin podcast.
It destroyed Perk’s friendship with Russ
Westbrook had a disastrous two-year tenure with the Lakers from 2021 to 2023. During that period, Perkins warned Westbrook about his attitude in Los Angeles. Perk said Russ tried to do too much at times, including taking bad shots, which hurt the team. And when former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham asked him to come off the bench, Westbrook complained and disliked his diminished role.
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Perk said that Russ did not take his comments well, and although he explained to Westbrook that they were based on sources and not his personal view, they ended up quarreling. Later, their wives got involved, and Kendrick said that broke the camel’s back.
“After that, I get a long paragraph from his wife, Nina. She reads her me her rights, or thought she did. ” I thought you would never turn your back.” After that, our relationship was over with. Because then, my wife got involved. They go back and forth because I ain’t doingÂ
nothing but doing my job. And I’m not killing Russ, right? I’m not killing them. These are reports.”Â
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Kendrick says Russ should be on the Bucks’ roster right now
Based on the reports, Westbrook’s demeanor in Lala Land was becoming cancerous, and that hurt his standing with the league’s GMs. And although he had good stints with the Clippers and Nuggets after being traded by the Lakers, it was only a matter of time before his star would fade. That time has come.
“Here we are, right at this very moment where Russ opted out of his last year with Denver, the only team that had interest, per reports, is Sacramento. And here we are, starting the season, and Russell Westbrook is not on the roster. Do I believe he should? Absolutely. I think he should be on the Milwaukee Bucks right now. I really do. But the reality is that for the first time in probably what, the last 15 years, Russell Westbrook is not on a roster. Crazy!”Â
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It’s indeed crazy for a player who performed as well as Westbrook did last season not to have any takers with the 2025-26 season less than a month away. However, it’s also a sad reality in the NBA that once people with power gang up on a player, it’s hard to fight them, even if you’re a star, a former MVP, for instance.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.