For the championship, give up his annual salary of 3.5 million and choose to become a free agent. Where should Westbrook go

On June 16, players often face a career crossroads on the NBA's stage full of competition and dreams. In the summer of 2025, Russell Westbrook made a league-shaking decision—for the championship dream, he chose to give up the execution of a $3.5 million player option and become a full free agent. This former All-Star point guard used actions to interpret what it means to "bet everything for the championship."

**From Maximum Salary to Basic Salary: Reconstruction of Westbrook's value**

Reviewing Westbrook's salary curve in recent years, from signing a five-year maximum salary of 205 million with the Thunder in 2017, to joining the Clippers with a basic salary of 780,000 in 2023, to the middle class contract of 3.5 million last season, his economic benefits are undergoing drastic adjustments in parallel with his stadium role. But the data will not lie: in the 2024-25 season, the 35-year-old Westbrook can still contribute 11.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, and his shooting percentage has increased to a career high of 48.3%. This performance of "salary cuts but not ability reduction" is the most eager jigsaw player trait for the championship team - in the words of former Clippers coach Tyron Lu, "He is willing to do anything small, and this attitude can change the genes of the locker room chemistry."

**The potential next player on the championship map **

Currently, three teams in the league have substantial scandals with Westbrook, each with unique attraction:

1. **The Denver Nuggets **

The defending champion is facing a substitute point guard shortage, and Jamal Murray's injury risks require the second ball holding point to share the pressure. Westbrook and Jokic's pick-and-roll combination is seen by experts as "the perfect marriage between violent aesthetics and European Magic", and its breakthrough pass-through ability can activate the Nuggets' outside shooter group. But salary space is the biggest obstacle, and the Nuggets may need to convince Westbrook to accept another veteran's basic salary.

2. **Boston Celtics**

If the Celtics, who just won the championship, retains their core lineup, Westbrook will become the turbocharger on the bench. Basketball Operations President Stevens has always appreciated Westbrook's defensive resilience, and his defensive efficiency (106.3) remained in the top 15% of the point guard last season. But the team's locker room already has guards such as Holiday and White, and role positioning may cause new rotation problems.

3. **Phoenix Suns**

Durant and Westbrook's third collaboration? This dramatic option is being discussed within the Sun Management. The Suns need someone to share Booker's organizational pressure, and Westbrook and KD's pick-and-roll efficiency in the Thunder period has been ranked among the top five in history (1.12 points per round). But the Suns' luxury tax bill has exceeded 200 million, and signing Westbrook means triggering tougher penalties.

**Revelation of historical cases**

This is not the first time that the NBA has a script of "paying a dream of chasing a salary cut". In 2016, David West gave up his annual salary of 12.6 million and joined the Spurs. In 2017, Wade joined the Cavaliers with a minimum salary, but he failed to do so. But success stories also exist - in 2020, Rondo gave up the Lakers' 4.8 million player option, switched to the Hawks and was traded back to the Lakers, and finally put on the second ring. Westbrook's situation is closer to the latter: what he needs is not core status, but efficient output time of 15-20 minutes, as he emphasized in his podcast: "I now know more about how to influence the game in a limited time."

**The option of risk and opportunity coexist**

Professional sports analyst Kevin Pelton pointed out the risk point: Westbrook's three-point shooting percentage last season was still only 29.1%, and may be targeted in modern basketball that emphasizes space. But ESPN's tactical expert Cork Gosbury holds the opposite view: "Look at the 2023 playoffs, when the opponent uses the center to defend him, he scores as much as 1.4 points per round. The championship team needs this unconventional weapon."

From a more macro perspective, Westbrook's choice reflects the evolution of the survival rules of the NBA's elderly stars. As the restrictions on rich teams intensify in the new version of the labor-management agreement, the "cost-performance ratio signing" of high-quality veterans will become the key to winning the championship. As LeBron James said during the finals: "Some things are more important than checks, and Russell (Westbrook) is proving this."

This summer, when the free market door opens, Westbrook's phone will inevitably be blown up by the general managers of the championship team. No matter which team he chose in the end, the nine-time All-Star has already won - he used his own way to write the most passionate new annotation to the eternal sports proposition of "Loyalty and Dream".