For quite a few weeks throughout the summer, the Sacramento Kings seemed like the most probable landing spot for Russell Westbrook. The All-Star had just finished his only season with the Denver Nuggets and was an unrestricted free agent.
The Kings spent a significant amount of time over the summer trying to make room on their roster for Westbrook. That included attempts to move both Malik Monk and DeMar DeRozan. That didn't work out, likely because the Kings' asking price was too high.
Only one other team was seriously linked to Westbrook, and that was the Houston Rockets. Media speculation was that Russell would be a solid replacement for an injured Fred VanVleet. But that may have just been rumors because the Rockets never made a move.
That doesn't explain why the Kings didn't bring Westbrook in when they seemed focused on it for so long. Even when there was an opportunity to do it, they didn't pull the trigger. That might have something to do with Dennis Schroder's EuroBasket success.
Also known as the European Basketball Championship, EuroBasket is the main international competition for senior men's teams. Organized by FIBA Europe, the participants are primarily national teams from countries across the continent.
With the ever-increasing number of NBA players coming from European countries, teams tend to pay more attention to what's going on in European basketball. Some of the NBA's top talents played for their home countries in EuroBasket, including Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The NBA star who shocked everyone was Dennis Schroder. He led the German team to a gold medal. On top of that, he was named MVP of the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Tournament. Again, he beat out the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic for that award.
On July 7, 2025, the Kings completed a sign-and-trade deal with the Detroit Pistons that brought Schroder to Sacramento. They needed a point guard to replace De'Aaron Fox. The front office's attempts to bring Westbrook, another point guard, on board continued.
Germany won EuroBasket, and Schroder was named MVP on September 14, 2025. After that point, the push to sign Russell Westbrook seemed to dry up from the Kings' end.
It could be a coincidence, but it could also be cause and effect. The Kings have been incredibly happy with Schroder's EuroBasket success, so much so that they may have realized they didn't actually need Westbrook. They already have three other players who can back up Schroder at point guard.
If Schroder's incredible EuroBasket performance did impact the Kings' decision to sign Westbrook, it was accidental on Dennis's part. Regardless, the end result is Schroder as the main point guard in Sacramento while Westbrook isn't on a roster at all.