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Russell Westbrook Contract Decision Has Massive Salary Implications for Nuggets
Russell Westbrook Contract Decision Has Massive Salary Implications for Nuggets originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Denver Nuggets' core roster is already slated to look a bit different in 2025-26, and the 2024-25 NBA offseason hasn't even officially begun just yet.
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Denver majority owner Josh Kroenke shockingly fired both 10-year head coach Michael Malone and championship general manager Calvin Booth with just days remaining in the Nuggets' regular season, replacing them with interim head coach David Adelman and interim GM Ben Tazer.
While Adelman has shaken the interim sticker and will serve as the Nuggets' long-term head coaching option, Tazer's status is more tenuous, even with the 2025 NBA Draft and free agency now just weeks away.
The Nuggets finished the regular season with a 50-32 record and pushed the NBA Finals-bound Oklahoma City Thunder to seven games in their second round playoff encounter. Denver was severely hampered by that seventh semifinal contest, with starting forwards Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon striving to play through major injuries.
Apr 9, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook (4) directs his team against the Sacramento Kings during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
Adelman's rotations were fairly limited, and he had to lean on erratic or unproven bench players to add a spark. Eventually, the Nuggets' luck ran out.
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One of those bench pieces appears to be ready to move on.
Former nine-time All-Star and 2017 league MVP Russell Westbrook will reportedly decline his $3.47 million player option for next year and instead explore unrestricted free agency, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (via Substack).
Westbrook, 36, had until June 29 to make a decision on the second year of the two-season deal he had agreed to with Denver last summer.
The 6-foot-4 UCLA alum is now slated to join potentially his seventh NBA franchise across the last eight seasons.
Still, there's a chance Westbrook could stick around.
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He averaged solid numbers off the bench for Denver, while staying healthy throughout the regular season and playoffs.
Across 75 available regular season bouts, Westbrook averaged 13.3 points on a .449/.323/.661 slash line, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 swipes. In reduced playing time, those numbers shrank a bit during the postseason. He averaged 11.7 points on inefficient shooting splits of .391/.317/.700, along with 3.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists (against 2.3 turnovers), and 0.9 steals.
The biggest issues with Westbrook are his inclination to hold the ball for too long (especially on a team with elite creators like three-time MVP center Nikola Jokic and guard Jamal Murray), his inconsistent off-ball effort, his poor jump-shooting, and his disengaged defense. He may have some value as an eighth man, especially in the regular season, but giving him significant playoff minutes at this stage is risky.
Bobby Marks of ESPN unpacks how Denver's cap situation benefits from Westbrook's reported decision.
The Nuggets are understandably desperate to help Jokic win his second title with the franchise after two disappointing second round playoff exits. Denver thankfully now has some breathing room below the NBA's harshly punitive second luxury tax apron, with 12 players currently signed.
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The team can now use its $5.7 taxpayer mid-level exception, a mechanism that would have been unavailable to Denver as a second apron team, and two veteran minimum slots to add new talent around its core of Jokic, Murray and Gordon.
Key swingman Christian Braun is still on his rookie-scale contract at present, but will become extension-eligible this summer, and could fetch a major raise. But the Nuggets can worry about what a likely-pricey Braun deal kicking in for 2025-26 will do to their payroll later. For now, the team should focus on affordable help for Jokic, and perhaps sniff around possible Porter trade packages.
Related: Fans React to Nuggets Star Russell Westbrook's Major Free Agency Decision
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
