Russell Westbrook Rumors

Kings Rumors: Kuminga, Westbrook, Carter

August 28th, 2025 at 1:31pm CST by Rory Maher

In an offseason discussion with his colleagues Fred Katz and Marcus Thompson II, Sam Amick of The Athletic states that the Kings have been the “most serious” sign-and-trade suitor for Warriors restricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga this summer.

According to Amick, Sacramento has been “resisting the urge” to make “smaller” trades this offseason because the front office has placed a higher priority on trying to acquire Kuminga. Elaborating further, Amick hears the Kings are more likely to sign Russell Westbrook if they know they can’t land Kuminga.

The Kings aren’t expected to sign Westbrook, with whom they’ve been linked throughout the summer, unless they can create a roster opening in the backcourt, Amick notes. Several other reporters have said similarly for several weeks, including Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), whose latest story was released after The Athletic’s.

Sources tell Fischer the Kings “continue to covet” Westbrook, who played for Denver last season. While Sacramento is reportedly no longer actively shopping Malik Monk, people around the league think second-year guard Devin Carter may still be moved, according to Fischer, who observes that the former Providence star was drafted by former GM Monte McNair.

Carter has reportedly been offered to Golden State in sign-and-trade talks for Kuminga, though the Warriors aren’t believed to have interest in that proposal.

Carter, the 13th overall pick of last year’s draft, was limited to 36 games as a rookie due to a shoulder injury. He was dominant in five G League games with the Stockton Kings (26.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.2 blocks on .517/.380/.733 shooting) but didn’t make a major impact in his limited NBA run in 2024/25 (3.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.1 APG on .370/.295/.591 shooting in 11.0 MPG).

Kuminga’s latest Instagram post has the young restricted free agent projecting confidence despite the lengthy contract standoff with Golden State, a situation Amick calls “borderline contentious.” Amick says he wouldn’t be surprised if Kuminga ultimately signs his $8MM qualifying offer instead of accepting the Warriors’ two-year, $45MM deal, which is guaranteed for $21.75MM (2026/27 is a team option).

However, as Amick writes, neither side will really start to feel pressure until mid-September, with training camp and the Oct. 1 deadline to sign a qualifying offer just a couple weeks away at that point.

Community Shootaround: Russell Westbrook

August 25th, 2025 at 9:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Recent reports indicate that the Kings are the only team with genuine interest in signing free agent guard Russell Westbrook.

However, that comes with a major stipulation — they first have to clear some salary and some playing time to make that happen. Sacramento already signed a veteran point guard in Dennis Schröder, so the only way Westbrook could get a meaningful role is if Sacramento deals either Malik Monk or 2024 No. 13 overall pick Devin Carter.

Both of those guards have been the subject of trade rumors this summer. That’s in part due to the Kings’ interest in trading for Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga. One recent report declared that the Kings are still interested in finding a new home for Monk. A subsequent report stated that Sacramento isn’t actively engaged in any discussions about a Monk deal.

Westbrook will be 37 in November but it’s still somewhat surprising that his market is so limited. He appeared in 75 regular season games with the Nuggets last season, including 36 starts, averaging 13.3 points. 4.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists. He also appeared in 13 postseason games but struggled to make an impact.

He could have guaranteed himself $3.47MM by exercising his player option but chose to test the market instead. There have been no indications in recent weeks that Denver is showing interest in a reunion, and the same goes for his previous two teams, the Lakers and the Clippers.

That brings us to today’s topic: Do you think the Kings will eventually sign free agent guard Russell Westbrook? If not, do you think he’ll find another landing spot and if so, what will be his likely destination?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Stein’s Latest: Monk, Hawks, Niang, Carlisle

August 25th, 2025 at 9:02am CST by Luke Adams

Although the Kings have explored multiple trade scenarios involving guard Malik Monk this offseason, league sources tell Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) that Sacramento isn’t actively engaged in any discussions about a Monk deal for the time being.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that Monk is a lock to be a King for the entire 2025/26 season – or even by opening night – but he has made a positive impression in Sacramento beyond his on-court production due to the way he has embraced his role and the franchise, Stein writes.

While the Kings have maintained interest in Russell Westbrook and have considered the idea of moving Monk to open up a spot in the backcourt for the former MVP, Stein hears that the front office has also looked into ways to create that opening for Westbrook by means other than a Monk trade.

Here are a few more items of interest from Stein:

Following up on a report from his Stein Line colleague Jake Fischer about the Hawks‘ apparent plan not to extend Trae Young before the start of the season, Stein says Atlanta wants to see more of Young playing alongside forward Jalen Johnson, whose 2024/25 campaign ended prematurely due to a shoulder injury. The Hawks are hopeful that getting a more extensive look at that duo in the wake of offseason roster changes will help clarify their “big-picture” plans.
Stein hears from league sources that veteran NBA forward Georges Niang has obtained a Senegalese passport and nearly suited up for Senegal during the 2025 AfroBasket tournament. However, an eventful offseason in which Niang was traded twice – from Atlanta to Boston to the Jazz – ultimately derailed his plans to play international ball this summer.
Noting that one-fifth of the NBA’s 30 head coaches have signed contract extensions this offseason (Chauncey Billups, Will Hardy, Ime Udoka, Billy Donovan, Joe Mazzulla, and Rick Carlisle), Stein provides some additional context on Carlisle’s new deal with the Pacers. As Stein explains, besides being a reward for leading Indiana to five playoff series wins over the past two years, Carlisle’s extension is intended to “promote stability” after the team saw star guard Tyrese Haliburton go down with an Achilles tear and lost longtime center Myles Turner in free agency.
In case you missed it, Stein also reported that Mavericks forward P.J. Washington is a prime candidate to sign an extension before the season begins.

Kings’ Malik Monk Still On Trade Block?

August 22nd, 2025 at 8:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have been “trying very hard” to trade guard Malik Monk this offseason, a league source tell Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal.

According to Afseth and Ashish Mathur of Dallas Hoops Journal, Sacramento would like to create an opening in its backcourt to sign Russell Westbrook, who would become the team’s sixth man behind new starting point guard Dennis Schröder.

The fact that Monk has been on the trade block this summer isn’t breaking news. His name has come up in rumors since even before the start of free agency, when word broke that the Kings’ front office was gauging the market for him and fellow guard Devin Carter.

During the opening days of the free agent period, Monk was linked to the Pistons as part of a potential sign-and-trade for Schröder, but Sacramento and Detroit ended up completing that deal without Monk’s involvement. The Kings took Schröder into an existing traded player exception and the Pistons generated a new TPE of their own by not taking any players back.

Monk is also said to be part of the Kings’ latest offer to the Warriors for restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, but Golden State isn’t interested in taking on the 27-year-old’s contract, which includes an $18.8MM cap hit for this season and has three years and $60.6MM remaining in total. Signing-and-trading Kuminga to Sacramento for Monk would either require the Warriors to include another mid-sized contract or would hard-cap them at the first tax apron, compromising their ability to fill out the rest of their roster.

Monk averaged a career-high 17.2 points per game last season and is just one year removed from finishing second in Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2024. He’s also nearly 10 years younger than Westbrook, so it’s a little surprising that the Kings would be looking to move Monk in order to sign the 36-year-old free agent, but that rumor has persisted since early July.

It’s worth noting that the Kings overhauled their basketball operations department this spring, with Scott Perry replacing former general manager Monte McNair. Sacramento’s new top decision-maker didn’t acquire Monk or sign him to his current extension and doesn’t appear to have the same level of attachment to him that the old front office did.

Free Agent Rumors: Thomas, Westbrook, Simmons, Shamet, Knicks

August 21st, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Rory Maher

NBA insider Jake Fischer reported Wednesday during a Bleacher Report live stream (YouTube link) that he continues to hear restricted free agent guard Cam Thomas is weighing whether to sign his $6MM qualifying offer or accept a two-year deal with the Nets worth around $14MM annually. The catch is the second year is a team option, meaning only the first season is guaranteed.

“Cam Thomas’s situation seems to be a decision between taking his qualifying offer or a two-year deal with a team option that is north of the qualifying offer from Brooklyn, somewhere around $14 million in average annual value,” Fischer said.

For what it’s worth, league sources not connected to the situation speculated to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports that Thomas might accept a two-year deal with a team option if he received closer to what Golden State reportedly offered Jonathan Kuminga ($45MM). While Helin acknowledges that the Nets have the edge in negotiating leverage, he wonders if the two sides will eventually reach some sort of compromise — perhaps a second-year player option or a partial guarantee in year two — to hash out a new deal.

Here are a few more rumors and notes on NBA veterans who remain unsigned:

There’s still no indication that any NBA team besides Sacramento is seriously considering signing Russell Westbrook, Fischer said yesterday in the same Bleacher Report live stream (hat tip to Dallas Hoops Journal). “We are still waiting to see what other moves could come in Sacramento before the Kings try to bring Russell Westbrook in,” Fischer said. “And that’s been the one home all along that we really have looked at for Russell Westbrook and that’s still the home that I have heard earlier this week is the most likely outcome for Russell Westbrook if he’s gonna be in the NBA at all. Honestly, that’s really the only home we’ve heard for him.”
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report takes a look at four potential landing spots for Ben Simmons, including the Kings, Knicks and Warriors.
While the Knicks and Simmons have mutual interest and the 29-year-old could end up in New York, Ian Begley of SNY.tv thinks the former No. 1 overall pick is “probably” more likely to land with another team, he said Tuesday on The Putback (YouTube link). New York only has enough room below its second-apron hard cap to sign one veteran to a minimum-salary deal, and Begley is “kind of assuming” that contract will eventually go to Landry Shamet. The Knicks have also kicked the tires on Malcolm Brogdon, though Begley noted they would likely have to make a trade to sign more than one of those three players.

And-Ones: Free Agents, 2026 Draft, Next Summer, 2024 Re-Draft

August 14th, 2025 at 12:26pm CST by Earnest Marshall

While most of the top free agents of the summer class of 2025 have either re-signed or joined new teams, there are still some potential impact role players on the market outside of the well-reported restricted free agent group.

Al Horford, Russell Westbrook and Amir Coffey sit atop Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report‘s list of best-available low-cost free agents. Horford has been heavily linked to the Warriors (as have Pincus’s fifth- and sixth-ranked free agents in Gary Payton II and De’Anthony Melton) and reporting has strongly suggested he’ll ultimately end up there once the Jonathan Kuminga situation is resolved.

Westbrook and the Kings have been frequently connected too, but reporting has suggested Sacramento might not have a spot for the former MVP if Malik Monk and/or Devin Carter aren’t traded, so it’s unclear where Westbrook would end up if the Kings decide they don’t have room in their backcourt.

As for Coffey and Pincus’s No. 4-ranked player Ben Simmons, there have been fewer definitive reports linking them to one team or another. Simmons has been connected to the Kings, Suns, Knicks and Celtics, but there hasn’t been much media traction involving Coffey.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Ahead of the 2025/26 collegiate season, the 2026 NBA draft class looks top-heavy, with three players in A.J. Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson who are in contention to be selected No. 1 overall, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report writes. Karim Lopez of the NBL’s New Zealand Breakers is Wasserman’s highest-ranked international prospect in the August update of his top-50 list, while Jayden Quaintance of Kentucky is the highest-ranked returning player (No. 4 overall) after he started 24 games for Arizona State in his age-17 season.
Looking ahead to next offseason, ESPN’s Bobby Marks details the headlines that should dominate the news cycle, including the futures of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. James will be an unrestricted free agent next year, and it’s unclear whether he will finish his career with the Lakers. Meanwhile, Curry, Jokic and Antetokounmpo could all be free agents in 2027 if they don’t sign extensions before then.
One year removed from the 2024 draft, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic re-drafted his top 20 from last year’s rookies. Zaccharie Risacher had a strong rookie season, but slipped from No. 1 to 2 in Vecenie’s re-draft, with 2024/25 Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle overtaking him for the top slot. Jared McCain (from No. 16 to No. 3) and Jaylen Wells (from No. 39 to No. 9) are the biggest risers in the top 10, while Ajay Mitchell jumped from No. 38 to No. 12.

Free Agent Rumors: Kuminga, Horford, Westbrook, Grimes

August 11th, 2025 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

There has been no meaningful movement in any direction on the Jonathan Kuminga front in the past couple weeks, per Anthony Slater of ESPN.

Having returned to his offseason base of Miami after a recent trip to his home country – the Democratic Republic of the Congo – the restricted free agent forward remains underwhelmed by the Warriors‘ two-year, $45MM offer that includes a second-year team option (and a request that he waive his implicit no-trade clause).

With no guaranteed money beyond year one, a trade-friendly salary, and no ability for Kuminga to have any say in a mid-season trade destination, the structure of the proposal is too team-friendly for Kuminga’s liking, Slater explains. Sources tell ESPN that the 22-year-old’s priority has been to find a contract that positions him to be a long-term building block for either the Warriors or another club. A short-term deal that essentially sets him up to be traded runs counter to that goal.

Kuminga’s camp pitched a three-year, $82MM contract that the Warriors turned down, according to Slater, who adds that the forward has told people close to him that the idea of signing his one-year, $8MM qualifying offer and reaching unrestricted free agency in 2026 appeals more to him than accepting Golden State’s one-plus-one proposal.

Here are a few more rumors on some of the top unsigned free agents:

Even though Al Horford has had to wait for resolution on the Kuminga situation and has mulled the idea of retirement, the Warriors seem to be operating as if the 39-year-old big man is a firm part of their plans for 2025/26, Slater writes. The idea would be to slot Horford in as their starting center to help reduce Draymond Green‘s regular season workload, according to Slater, though he notes that Horford’s minutes would have to be carefully managed as well.
League sources consider the Kings to be the most likely landing spot for free agent point guard Russell Westbrook, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reports within the same story. Multiple reports earlier this summer indicated that there may not be room in Sacramento’s backcourt for Westbrook unless the team were to trade Malik Monk or Devin Carter, but the former MVP is still being linked to the Kings even with those two guards still on the roster.
The Sixers continue to project confidence that they’ll re-sign restricted free agent guard Quentin Grimes, says Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). While it’s not out of the question that Grimes could accept his $8.7MM qualifying offer, Fischer believes the two sides will work out a more mutually beneficial deal that begins at a higher salary.

Heat Notes: Westbrook, Powell, Bridges, Herro, Fontecchio

August 4th, 2025 at 8:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Signing free agent guard Russell Westbrook wouldn’t make much sense for the Heat, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes. Winderman anticipates that Westbrook would rather sign with a team that has a stronger chance to contend.

Bringing in any free agent at this point creates salary cap and luxury tax issues for the Heat, according to Winderman, who also notes that Westbrook would likely to have to accept a role as the fourth guard in the rotation behind Tyler Herro, Norman Powell and Davion Mitchell.

We have more on the Heat:

Powell, who was traded to the Heat by the Clippers last month, is training in South Florida but not with the Heat. He’s working out with the Jamaican national team, which is holding its training camp at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton to prepare for the FIBA World Cup 2027 Americas pre-qualifiers, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, “I was expecting training camp to be in Jamaica, but then I learned that it was in Boca. And then being traded to the Heat, being so close to where I’ll be playing and being able to go down there and go to the facility, look for a place to stay. … It’s definitely cool,” Powell said.
Mikal Bridges‘ extension with the Knicks provides an interesting comp for future negotiations between the Heat and Herro, Winderman writes. While Bridges has never made an All-Star team or won an NBA award, unlike Herro, he’s a better two-way player. Bridges’ average of $37.5MM per season in his four-year extension still might not be enough to lock down Herro to a long-term agreement, notes Winderman.
Also at The Sun Sentinel, Winderman explores whether it would make sense for the Heat to utilize the stretch provision before the Aug. 29 deadline, pointing out that they could move below the luxury tax line by shedding some salary. The primary candidate, in Winderman’s view, is Simone Fontecchio, who was acquired in the Duncan Robinson sign-and-trade with Detroit. He has an $8.3MM expiring contract which could be stretched at $2.7MM over each of the next three seasons.

Northwest Notes: Holiday, Jokic, Shannon, Westbrook

August 2nd, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jrue Holiday is ready to fill the role of veteran leader for the Trail Blazers, even if it means being a “jerk” sometimes, writes Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. That was his joking term for Andre Iguodala, who had a strong influence on Holiday during his rookie season in Philadelphia. Holiday adds that he didn’t understand Iguodala’s constant chiding at the time, but it helped him become a better NBA player.

“I know when I was younger and first coming in, I had vets,” he said. “But I tried not to look at them as vets, more just kind of like study everything around me. And even though I’m at this age now, I feel like I still try to do the same thing, even though guys might be younger and I might not like the same type of music or we might not be into the same thing. But I also feel like that’s what makes us a team — finding commonality and be able to mesh over that and then kind of translate to the court.”

Portland acquired Holiday from Boston last month — and took on the hefty contract that pays him $104.4MM over the next three years — to provide leadership for an otherwise young team. He said his desire to win hasn’t lessened at all, even after 16 NBA seasons and two championships.

“Honestly, I can just be me,” Holiday said. “I don’t really know how to do anything else. So come here and just be the person that I’ve always been, and, again, try to not just help out as much as possible, but to try to win.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

There have been suggestions that Nikola Jokic‘s passion for training racehorses might cause him to leave the NBA early, but Troy Renck of The Denver Post predicts it will have the opposite effect. The Nuggets center was overcome with emotion after one of his horses won a race last weekend (Twitter video link), becoming more demonstrative than when he led his team to the NBA title in 2023. However, Renck points out that there’s not much money in Serbian horse racing and states that Jokic will likely keep playing as long as he can to help finance his stable.
Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. has signed with Octagon Basketball, the agency announced (via Twitter). Shannon was a first-team All-Summer League selection last month.
Russell Westbrook remains on the free agent market, but a reunion with the Thunder is unlikely, according to Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated. He points out that even though Westbrook is still a beloved figure in Oklahoma City, the team already has a full roster with 15 guaranteed contracts and the former MVP doesn’t fit the Thunder’s current style of play.

Free Agent Notes: Thomas, Jazz, Kings, Westbrook, Boston

July 28th, 2025 at 1:42pm CST by Rory Maher

Reports have indicated there’s a significant gap in contract negotiations between restricted free agent guard Cam Thomas and the Nets, his incumbent team. As Grant Afseth of FastbreakJournal.com writes, Thomas doesn’t appear to have much leverage, with so few teams having the ability to sign him to an offer sheet that might give Brooklyn pause.

“He’s a talented scorer, but he’s kind of stuck in the middle right now. He wants star money, but a lot of teams see him more like a microwave scorer off the bench,” a veteran scout for a team who made last year’s playoffs told FastbreakJournal.com. “That disparity is what’s keeping him on the market.”

Echoing reporting from Jake Fischer, Afseth also states that Thomas seems “increasingly likely” to sign his $6MM qualifying offer, which would give him an implied no-trade clause and a chance to hit unrestricted free agency in 2026.

Here are a few more free agent items of interest:

League sources tell Afseth that the Jazz, who could theoretically make a run at a top restricted free agent using their $26.6MM trade exception, don’t appear to be interested in Thomas. However, rival teams believe Utah might be intrigued by another RFA who offers more versatility and defense. “If Utah uses that cap space, it’ll be for someone like Quentin Grimes, someone who can knock down threes and guard multiple positions, but still can create off the dribble,” an Eastern Conference executive told FastbreakJournal.com. “He’s also shown flashes as a scorer and play-maker in Philly. He’s shown he can grow into a more complete player in the right system. That’s a different type of bet than what you’re making on Thomas.” The Jazz wouldn’t be able to complete an offer sheet using a trade exception, but could make a sign-and-trade deal.
According to Matt George of ABC 10 Sacramento (Twitter link), the Kings and veteran guard Russell Westbrook continue to have mutual interest. However, George has heard that Sacramento would probably need to trade either Devin Carter or Malik Monk to make room in the backcourt for Westbrook, who remains an unrestricted free agent after declining his 2025/26 player option in June. The nine-time All-Star suited up for Denver last season.
Free agent wing Brandon Boston Jr. is in “advanced talks” with Greek EuroLeague club Panathinaikos, per Spurs reporter Dusty Garza (Twitter link; hat tip to Sportando). The 23-year-old guard/forward is coming off a solid season with New Orleans in which he averaged 10.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals in 23.6 minutes per contest, with all of those figures representing career highs. However, Boston was limited to just 42 games due to an ankle injury, which required surgery in April, and the Pelicans declined their team option on his contract for ’25/26, making him unrestricted.