Russell Westbrook Signs with Kings: Sacramento’s Confusing Backcourt Plan Explained

It’s amazing how Russell Westbrook keeps getting away with this.

On Wednesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Westbrook agreed to a free agent contract with the Sacramento Kings.

Westbrook will be entering his 18th season in the league. At 36 years old, the former UCLA standout will be looking to add a spark off the bench for Sacramento. But who asked for this?

Sure. Westbrook had a little bit of a career resurgence last year with the Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokic’s ability to shoulder a majority of the offensive workload likely factored into Westbrook’s success, but let’s not let ourselves get lost in the details.

In 75 games, Westbrook averaged over 27 minutes per night. He averaged 13 points, six assists and just under five rebounds. While the player that once averaged a triple double while securing multiple NBA MVP awards is long gone, Westbrook proved to be a serviceable player in this league even well into his 30s.

The Kings traded away De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs, seemingly helping them build around Victor Wembanyama, who looks poised to take over the league. On their depth chart, Dennis Schroder is listed as the team’s starting point guard.

Schroder is 32 years old and has bounced around the league in recent years. He has not played more than 50 games with one team since appearing in 51 games with the Toronto Raptors in 2023.

Keon Ellis is another guard option for new Kings head coach Doug Christie. Ellis is entering his fourth year in the NBA and has never averaged more than 10 points per night.

Quickly, you understand how Westbrook could be asked to do a little bit more in Sacramento. While the Kings certainly need major help in their backcourt, tapping a combination of Schroder and Westbrook is certainly a decision that feels like Sacramento will be playing for NBA Draft Lottery ping pong balls in a loaded Western Conference.

It’s a unique position for a team like Sacramento to be in. Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis are a powerful enough big three to make some noise – but the rest of the roster isn’t exactly phenomenal.

According to some rumors, the Kings were interested in trading for an All-Star point guard like Atlanta's Trae Young or Cleveland's Darius Garland.

While the asking price on those players would have been tremendously high, it was probably worth a swing. The aging point guard duo in Sacramento will certainly be something to watch this season.