Last offseason, Sacramento’s biggest priority was shoring up the point guard position following the departure of De’Aaron Fox. General Manager Scott Perry tried to solve this issue by signing Dennis Schröder to a mid-level contract, and then bringing in veteran and former MVP Russell Westbrook on a minimum contract. It only took three games for Coach Doug Christie to move Westbrook into the starting lineup, and he ended up starting 58 of the 64 games he played for the Kings last season, averaging 15.2 points, 6.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in about 29 minutes per game.
Schröder was shipped out at the trade deadline with the Kings floundering and regretting that contract, and now it seems the Kings also don’t want to bring back Westbrook either. According to Jake Fischer in a recent livestream for Bleacher Report:
“At this point, no disrespect to Russell Westbrook, but I haven’t heard that the Kings would want him back really in any fashion.”
The Kings did draft rookie Darius Acuff Jr. with the 7th overall pick this year, and seem primed to give him the keys to the car and plenty of opportunities. However, Acuff is a 19 year old rookie, and the only real point guard on the roster. If the Kings don’t bring back Westbrook, that would likely be asking for Malik Monk, Nique Clifford and perhaps even fellow rookie Emanuel Sharp to handle the backup Point Guard duties. Given that the Kings aren’t likely to contend for anything, that’s probably not terrible in the short term.
The Kings roster currently sits at 13 players with 2 two-way contracts in Jonathan Mogbo and Adam Flagler. I wouldn’t completely rule out a Westbrook return, but I get it for both sides if the Kings and/or Westbrook decide to move on. Westbrook came to this situation hoping to help a playoff team, and instead found himself in a full rebuilding situation. At this point in his career, that’s probably not what he wants to be doing.
I was not a fan of the Westbrook signing when it happened, but I did grow to appreciate Westbrook’s heart and hustle as a bright spot in an otherwise dismal season. There’s a reason that he has so many devout fans after all, and hopefully he can join a contending team. He clearly still has gas in the tank. Best of luck Russ!
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