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By Ricardo Sandoval
Contributing Sports Writer
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NBA All-Star and former MVP Russell Westbrook has yet to find a new home.
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After opting out of his $3.4 million player option for the 2025-26 season with the Denver Nuggets in June 2025, Westbrook has not signed with a team. He entered the offseason as an unrestricted free agent, and that remains the case.
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Although he was not viewed as a hot commodity in the free agent market, the expectation was that he would earn more money with a new deal by signing a veteran minimum contract. However, that has been far from the case as the new NBA season is less than two weeks away.
The likelihood of him signing with a new team seems low, especially if that team is the Houston Rockets. According to ESPN NBA insider Bobby Marks, Westbrook can't sign with the Rockets until after Christmas.
"You know who the decision maker is, your favorite two words: first apron," said Marks. "When you look at where Houston is right now, they do have an open roster spot, but they are $1.3 million below the first apron. You cannot sign a player until after January 8th. So a [Kevin] Durant, [Russell] Westbrook reunion would have to wait until after Christmas."
Not only does it apply to Westbrook, but it would apply to any veteran's minimum deal. If they were to make a veteran minimum signing, it would push them over the first apron, which would bring some roster-building restrictions for a Rockets team with high hopes as the season approaches.
A few days ago, Durant shared his honest thoughts on a potential reunion with Westbrook.
Read more: Kevin Durant Sends Rockets Message on Signing Russell Westbrook
“Russ is a legend, and I think he deserves to be in the NBA right now. I think he deserves to walk out of the NBA on his terms. So yeah, that would be dope," Durant said.
One could argue the Rockets are in desperate need of a veteran point guard. They lost their star guard, Fred VanVleet, for the entire season with a torn ACL during an unofficial team workout in late September.
In the meantime, players like Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard will do, for at least the first half of the season.
Westbrook is coming off a productive season with the Nuggets where he averaged 13.3 points across 75 games.
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