With the new NBA season fast approaching, Russell Westbrook remains without a team as a free agent. Amid growing speculation about the former Denver Nuggets guardās future, recent rumors have linked him to the Houston Rockets ā where his former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Kevin Durant now plays.
Durant and Westbrook spent eight seasons together in Oklahoma City, forming one of the leagueās most dynamic duos and leading the Thunder to the 2012 NBA Finals before falling to the Golden State Warriors.
In a recent appearance on Up & Adams, Durant acknowledged hearing the rumors but made it clear he has no inside information about Westbrookās situation.
āI donāt have no clue. I havenāt asked anybody about that. I heard that too, but I donāt know. It hasnāt been brought to my desk at all. And usually when stuff like that happens, itās pretty loud. But I havenāt really heard it outside of fans on the internet,ā Durant explained.
However, when asked about the possibility of reuniting with Westbrook in Houston, Durant didnāt hesitate to praise his former teammate. The former Suns forward made it clear he believes Westbrook still belongs in the league and should have the chance to finish his career on his own terms.
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āRuss is a legend. I think he deserves to be in the NBA right now, and I think he deserves to walk out of the NBA on his own terms. So yeah, thatād be dope. But itās not my decision, Iām leaving that up to whoever makes those decisions for now,ā he added.
Could Westbrook fit with the Rockets?
The Rockets made a major splash this offseason by acquiring Kevin Durant, signaling their intent to make a serious run at the NBA championship. However, their title hopes took an early hit before training camp even began: Fred VanVleet tore his Achilles and is expected to miss the entire 2025ā26 season.
That setback leaves Houston without a true point guard ā a role Westbrook could naturally fill. But thereās a major obstacle standing in the way: the salary cap.
The Rockets are already hard-capped, meaning they canāt use the Disabled Player Exception without exceeding the limit, nor can they sign another player to a minimum contract unless they first shed salary.
The only realistic path to adding a replacement for VanVleet would be via trade, but most of Houstonās tradeable assets are considered untouchable by the front office. As a result, head coach Ime Udoka will have to get creative to replace his veteran floor leader ā at least until December 15, when recently signed players become eligible to be traded.
