Why is Westbrook, soon to be 37, still unable to find a team?

As the new season approaches in under 20 days, teams are slowly starting their preseason activities. In a quiet, overlooked spot, the soon-to-be 37-year-old Westbrook is still working hard in training camp, but as a free agent.

This is the first time in Westbrook’s career that he has missed the media day and training camp for a new season. Despite the harsh reality, we may have to accept that Westbrook will miss the start of next season’s games.

Currently, teams do have roster spots available, but some are limited by salary cap restrictions, while others want to maintain roster flexibility. Honestly, if any team wanted to sign Westbrook, they would have done so already; he wouldn’t be missing media day and training camp.

Westbrook’s difficulty in finding a team has surprised many. When he chose to opt out of his contract with Denver for next season, no one expected he would struggle to get even a minimum salary deal. The general consensus was that Westbrook had better options lined up.

In hindsight, Westbrook’s decision to opt out without a new team in place seems unwise. However, it might be that Denver’s management proposed a changed role for him next season (if he exercised the option), and Westbrook couldn’t accept that arrangement, leading to his choice to opt out.

Players like Westbrook aren’t motivated by money; the only reason he keeps playing in the NBA is his passion for the game. But if asked to give up ball-handling duties and playing time to become more of a mentor figure, Westbrook simply can’t do that.

This is one reason why Westbrook hasn’t found a team yet. Strong teams don’t want an unstable factor like him. While he can put up solid numbers off the bench, it’s uncertain how much he can truly elevate a top team.

For weaker teams, there’s also little incentive to sign Westbrook. As always, if given enough touches, he can still produce triple-doubles, but he can no longer lead a team to victory or contribute significantly. If Westbrook refuses to take on a mentoring role, weak teams signing him would only hinder the development of their young guards.

Only middling teams like the Kings have been linked to Westbrook. However, since the Kings couldn’t trade Monk for Kuminga, those rumors have died down. Apart from the Kings, no NBA team has shown interest in Westbrook during the offseason.

Westbrook’s current situation resembles Carmelo Anthony’s in 2019. During that offseason, Anthony was also unsigned until late November, when the Trail Blazers signed him, and shortly after, he earned the Western Conference Player of the Week honor.

But Anthony was 35 in 2019, and more importantly, his style was plug-and-play. His shooting was refined, and he accepted coming off the bench, embracing a veteran role to support younger players.

Westbrook’s biggest issue isn’t age or declining athleticism, but that his shooting has fallen behind the modern game. Last season with Denver, he averaged 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists per game, shooting 45% overall and 32.3% from three. In the playoffs, his three-point percentage barely improved, just over 30%.

Although Westbrook can exploit defensive lapses in a few games, over a larger sample size, his shooting continues to limit spacing for the team. That said, realistically, without Westbrook’s contributions in last season’s first playoff round, Denver might have struggled against the Clippers.

In the first round, Westbrook averaged 25.5 minutes, scoring 13.8 points, grabbing 4.8 rebounds, dishing 2.8 assists, and recording 1.3 steals per game, shooting 43.3% from the field and 41.9% from three. But in the second round against Oklahoma City, his scoring dropped to 9.9 points per game with a three-point percentage plummeting to 21.9%.

Lillard managed to secure a veteran contract with the Trail Blazers after being waived by Milwaukee. But the Thunder are reigning champions and have no such roster spot for Westbrook. If the Thunder were rebuilding, they would likely welcome him with open arms.

Regardless, we hope Westbrook’s career doesn’t end here. We wish him a dignified “retirement” season and hope he continues into his 18th NBA season.

His fans are still hoping for his return. The basketball world needs players like Westbrook—those who speak up in silence and remain calm amid chaos.