Russell Westbrook will decline his $3.5 million player option for the 2025-26 season, NBA reporter Marc Stein reported on Friday .

Russell Westbrook, 36, mainly plays as a point guard. He was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics (the predecessor of the Oklahoma City Thunder) with the fourth pick in the first round in 2008. He played for the Oklahoma City Thunder for 11 years, and then moved to the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and other teams.

In July 2024, Westbrook signed a two-year contract with the Denver Nuggets worth $6.8 million after being waived by the Utah Jazz. So far, he has played 75 regular season games for the Nuggets, averaging 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game, shooting 44.9% from the field and 32.3% from three-point range, helping the team rank fourth in the Western Conference with 50 wins and 32 losses.

After entering the playoffs, Westbrook averaged 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 39.1% and a three-point shooting percentage of 31.7%. The Nuggets were eventually eliminated by the Thunder 3-4 in the Western Conference semifinals.

With good cooperation with main players such as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, Westbrook quickly became an indispensable member of the Nuggets' bench lineup. However, Westbrook decided to opt out of his contract after an excellent season, and he will officially become a free agent on June 30.