Report: Russell Westbrook’s future with Nuggets ‘uncertain’ after Michael Malone firing

According to NBA insiders Tony Jones and Sam Amick of The Athletic, Russell Westbrook‘s future with the Denver Nuggets is “uncertain” after the Michael Malone firing.

Westbrook played only 17 minutes against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday under interim head coach David Adelman. He had five points and three turnovers while shooting 2-of-11 overall and 0-of-4 from 3. 

“In Wednesday night’s 124-116 win over the Sacramento Kings, Adelman benched Westbrook down the stretch of the fourth quarter, choosing instead to close with Jalen Pickett,” Jones and Amick wrote. “Westbrook has a player option worth $3.4 million to return to the Nuggets next season, but league sources say his future with the organization is uncertain.”

Westbrook is in his first season with the Nuggets. He’s averaging 13.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.1 assists while shooting 44.8% from the field, 32.6% from beyond the arc and 64.5% from the free-throw line. 

Malone’s choice to continue supporting Westbrook led to a loss of credibility among Nuggets players.

“All the while, Malone’s choice to continue supporting Westbrook, despite the frustration he was causing on and off the floor, led to a loss of credibility among the team’s key players,” Jones and Amick wrote. “It was one thing when Malone handled Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray with more leniency than the rest of their group, but affording Westbrook that sort of treatment, even with his Hall of Fame credentials, wasn’t received well by some.

“That dynamic intensified recently, starting with Westbrook’s meltdown against Minnesota on April 1 in which his late-game blunders cost Denver the win and spoiled Jokić’s 60-point triple-double. After a brutal Jokić turnover late in a loss to Indiana on Sunday, when he and Westbrook miscommunicated up top and the big man’s pass flew out of bounds, Malone defended his veteran point guard in a way that was seen by some as a shot at the team’s young talents.”

One of the top players in NBA history, Westbrook has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Nuggets.