Recent information of former maximum salary players: sharply reduced from annual salary of 47 million to playing time

In the free market, those old players still haven't found their next home. The trading rumors between Horford and the Warriors have been a long time since they signed the contract. I don’t know what the Warriors are waiting for. The inside line was so scarce, and Looney was sent away again. It is obviously an urgent task to get a center. Paul is still hesitating now. It is generally believed that it is from the Suns and the Clippers to choose one of them. Obviously, the Clippers are more suitable, and there are better conditions for championship competition here. After Powell left, there were also a vacant vacant on the Clippers' back line. Paul and Harden have been teammates and have a certain understanding. The Suns have too many guards, establishing the core duo of Booker and Jaylen Green. There is no room for Paul to play, and it is difficult for the Suns to maintain competitiveness in their current lineup.

In addition to Horford and Paul, there is another veteran star worth paying attention to in the free market, that is Westbrook. Last summer, Westbrook and the Nuggets signed a two-year and 8 million contract. During this summer's offseason, Westbrook rejected the player option next season and became a free agent. Regarding why Westbrook rejected the player option, this is definitely not his unilateral decision, but has communicated with the Nuggets. The Nuggets probably hope that Westbrook can go to a more suitable next home. Earlier, Westbrook's market conditions were still very good. On the one hand, his price was not expensive and he was willing to play the role player. On the other hand, many teams lack experienced defenders, and Westbrook has the opportunity to serve as their championship puzzle. However, there are fewer and fewer teams interested in Westbrook now.

According to NBA reporter Jake Weinbach, Russell Westbrook's choice in the free agent market has become smaller, and there are not many teams to choose from. Before this, the Kings and Westbrook had in-depth exchanges, and both sides were willing to cooperate. However, after the Kings' operations, the backcourt players in their lineup were already overcrowded and there would be no signs of signing in the short term. The Kings had signed Dennis Schroeder before, and they would give priority to signing an experienced point guard in the offseason. Schroeder will form the Kings' backcourt lineup with Zach Lavin, Malik Monk, Keane Ellis and Devin Carter, which also means that Westbrook is basically impossible to join the Kings.

All teams know that Westbrook is a double-edged sword now. He can burst out unparalleled passion in the game and ignite the entire arena with enthusiasm, but he is also prone to paying the price because of his passion, that is, he is prone to getting ahead and making outrageous mistakes. Last season, Westbrook played 75 games for the Nuggets, averaging 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 44.9%. In the playoffs, Westbrook also had many highlight moments. He staged a steal and a decisive kill against the Clippers in the first round, and in the second round against the Thunder, he calmly assisted Gordon to win the finale, and repeatedly became the savior at critical moments. However, the Nuggets still did not try to keep Westbrook, and let him stay in the team for another year shows that the Nuggets are also weighing the pros and cons of Westbrook and whether they can bring more positive contributions to the team.

In any case, Westbrook's situation is indeed very embarrassing. In the words of Meiji, he no longer has the initiative in the market and may even fall to the point where he has no ball to play. A defender like Westbrook who relies heavily on explosive power at his peak was very sad and decent in the later stages of his career. Just like the previous stars such as Ross, Wall, Thomas Jr., from All-Star to Fringe players, to fading out of the NBA, it was a matter of a moment. In fact, Westbrook is already persistent enough and dares to accept his own gap. Even though his net worth goes from maximum salary to basic salary and role positioning from starting to bench player, he continues to pursue his dreams and can also play the role of wielding towels on the bench, just for love. If he had changed to other superstars, he would have experienced such a big gap in his later career and would have long been considering retirement.

Regarding Westbrook, his turning point should be that after joining the Lakers, his personal ability has declined as he grows older and accumulates injuries. More importantly, Westbrook and the Lakers' entire lineup were completely unfit, and he and James both needed to hold the ball a lot. The Lakers prefer positional battles and the pace is very slow, while Westbrook likes fast attacks and the rhythm is fast enough to fly. Westbrook is out of place when he is on the court. In the first year of joining the Lakers, the Lakers did not even make it into the playoffs. In the following 22-23 season, Westbrook was abandoned by the Lakers. That year, he still earned 47 million, ranking second in the league in annual salary. After being traded by the Lakers, his net worth dropped from maximum salary to basic salary, and it is gone forever. It has to be admitted that Westbrook is indeed the superstar who has regressed the fastest in the NBA in recent years. Maybe he should really consider retiring.