Officially joined! Hello, number 18 Westbrook! The contract signed is quite insulting.

Hello, number 18 Westbrook.

Westbrook was present to watch the Kings’ 117-116 close win over his old team, the Lakers, with the broadcast paying tribute by displaying his 9 All-Star selections on screen.

It’s worth mentioning that, according to well-known reporter Scotto,Westbrook signed only an unguaranteed one-year contract worth $3.6 million with the Kings... which means the Kings can waive Westbrook at any time without having to pay him anything.

No wonder it took so long for Westbrook to agree to sign with the Kings; apparently, the contract offered was too “demeaning” for the former MVP. But with the new regular season approaching, he had no choice but to compromise. At least he managed to return to the NBA, and there’s still a chance to earn a full contract through his performance.

Kings head coach Chris Christie said that Westbrook will come off the bench behind Schroder to lead the second unit and play multiple positions. Simply put, Westbrook will be a reserve for the Kings and shouldn’t expect a starting role for now.

This is not surprising, since Schroder has a three-year, $44.43 million contract with the Kings, while Westbrook holds an unguaranteed minimum salary deal that can be terminated anytime. Naturally, their status and treatment are vastly different.

Moreover, Westbrook has long been comfortable and accepting of a bench role. During the 2022-25 seasons with the Lakers, Clippers, and Nuggets, only in the 2022-23 season with the Clippers did he secure a stable starting spot (starting all 26 regular season and playoff games), while in other seasons he mostly came off the bench with few starts.

By the way, one key reason Westbrook could bring his talent to the Kings is that core players Lavine, DeRozan, and Sabonis all supported his signing. The idea that no star wants to play with Westbrook? That’s fake news.

Westbrook (36), Lavine (30), DeRozan (36), and Sabonis (29) are all NBA All-Star caliber players. The only issue is that two of them are quite old. If all four were in their prime, the Kings would be very promising, but unfortunately, that’s not the case.

In summary, Westbrook’s arrival will effectively raise the Kings’ visibility, but it offers limited improvement to their competitiveness. Also, every NBA game he plays this season should be cherished, because as mentioned, he might be unemployed again at any moment.