Former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook has agreed to a one-year, $3.6 million veteran minimum deal with the Sacramento Kings, the team announced Wednesday. The nine-time All-Star is expected to officially join the team later this week, entering his 18th NBA season.

Westbrook, who turns 37 in November, spent the 2024–25 season with the Denver Nuggets, where he averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 75 games (36 starts) while shooting 44.9% from the field and a career-best 52% on two-pointers. Over the past three seasons, Westbrook has thrived as a sixth man, coming off the bench in 145 of 216 games and finishing in the top 10 in Sixth Man of the Year voting each year.

A franchise icon in Oklahoma City, Westbrook was named NBA MVP in 2017, becoming the first player in 55 years to average a triple-double for a full season, the first of three consecutive seasons he accomplished the feat. He also won two scoring titles, two All-Star Game MVPs, and currently holds the NBA record for most career triple-doubles (203). Now on his seventh NBA team (Thunder, Rockets, Wizards, Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets, and Kings), Westbrook enters the season with 26,205 career points and needs just 506 more to surpass Oscar Robertson as the highest-scoring point guard in NBA history. He also ranks eighth all-time in assists and is just 75 away from joining the 10,000-assist club, a milestone reached by only seven players.

For Sacramento, Westbrook brings veteran leadership and much-needed backcourt depth, capable of contributing as both a starter and reserve. The Kings ranked 28th in bench points and 29th in bench assists per game last season, and Westbrook’s energy, playmaking, and experience should provide an immediate boost as they look to make a playoff run in the Western Conference.