"You diminish that man's legacy by that" - Carmelo Anthony shoots down idea of Russell Westbrook’s Thunder comeback amid NBA teams blackballing ex-MVP

10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony weighed in on why Russell Westbrook shouldn’t go back to the OKC Thunder. The 2017 MVP has been looking for a team throughout the summer since declining his player option with the Denver Nuggets ahead of free agency.

Westbrook played 75 games for Denver in the 2024-25 season, averaging 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. Despite his solid output, NBA teams have been unwilling to take a chance on him, leading to much uncertainty surrounding his future in the league.

Speaking on Friday’s episode of his “7 PM in Brooklyn” podcast, Carmelo Anthony shot down a co-host’s idea of Westbrook returning to the Thunder, citing his reputation as one of the franchise's greatest players.

“You cannot bring Russell Westbrook back to OKC and not play him,” Anthony said. “He cannot go from being the greatest player in your franchise history to maybe playing or not playing.”

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Anthony continued, saying that the only situation where Westbrook’s return to OKC would make sense is if he were returning to retire:

“If he’s ready to say, ‘Yo Sam Presti! I want to retire here, this is my last year. Let’s do something for this year.’ I’m cool with that, let’s make this celebratory for Russ.”

After being picked No. 4 in the 2008 draft, Westbrook played 821 games for the OKC Thunder, averaging 23 points, 8.4 assists and 7.0 rebounds per game.

While he is past his best years as an athlete, Westbrook could still contribute to a championship team, as he demonstrated with the Nuggets last season.

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NBA reporter says there is ‘mutual interest’ between Russell Westbrook and the Sacramento Kings

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Russell Westbrook still might have a shot at getting back in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings showing an interest in him. Speaking on Friday’s edition of NBA Today, Charania outlined the strong “mutual interest” between both sides.

“There is strong mutual interest between Russell Westbrook and the Sacramento Kings," Charania said. “The Kings have a need for a reserve point guard. They were 29th in bench points, 29th in bench assists last season. Russell Westbrook helps with that, and he has got relationships across that organization.”

With the season opener less than 10 days away, Westbrook is quickly running out of time to find a new team. Reports suggest the former MVP is also attracting interest from the Chinese Basketball Association.

Edited by Sameer Khan