For the first time in nearly two decades, it looks like the NBA regular season will open up with Russell Westbrook at home. Like Squidward when he saw SpongeBob and Patrick have fun outside, it’ll be an odd absence after being a fixture in the league for so long.

If it hasn’t been obvious the last few years, it’s undeniable now — we’re in the twilight stage of the 36-year-old’s Hall-of-Fame career. The last few seasons have seen the former MVP winner accept his sharp decline and be a bench player on contenders.

Now, perhaps Westbrook no longer has that luxury. It’s a cruel sports world at times. Maybe he can eventually land somewhere like the Sacramento Kings, but the clock is ticking on his NBA career.

That has made some folks wonder — why not have a storybook ending on the Oklahoma City Thunder?

The NBA champions would be his best shot to win a ring. The Thunder are viewed as the consensus title favorite as they run it back with mostly the same roster that had one of the most dominating seasons ever. Perhaps Westbrook can finally claim a Larry O’Brien trophy as an end-of-bench player behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

According to Carmelo Anthony, that’s just not possible. In his “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast, he said that Westbrook can’t do that. They were teammates in OKC for the 2017-18 season. It would tarnish his all-time legacy as one of the NBA’s best players in the 2010s when he was a perennial All-NBA and MVP candidate.

“They the champs. You cannot bring Russell Westbrook back to OKC and don’t play him,” Anthony said. “He cannot go from the greatest player in franchise history to maybe playing or maybe not. It doesn’t work. You diminish that man’s legacy by that.”

From a reputation standpoint, what Anthony said makes sense. It’d be a bad look for Westbrook to return to OKC in a diminished role. Especially on one of the deepest rosters that can’t guarantee a rotation spot. Vice versa with the Thunder. You can’t have Westbrook around for semantics. It’d be a bad look for the franchise and cause a distraction.

Instead, the Thunder and Westbrook should keep their 2019 divorce clean. He’ll be honored later in life when his playing days are over. No question, his No. 0 will be retired and perhaps get a statue outside of OKC’s new arena. But in terms of a possible reunion, you can’t do it for publicity reasons sans an honorary one-day contract to retire.

“He cannot go from the greatest player in franchise history to maybe playing or maybe not.”

Melo thinks Russell Westbrook fits on a lot of NBA teams … just NOT the OKC Thunder 👀 pic.twitter.com/uhWqONbt1v

— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) October 10, 2025