Russell Westbrook made his feelings perfectly clear on Monday night.

Standing in the visiting locker room at Ball Arena after dropping 26 points and 12 rebounds in a tough 130-124 loss to his former team, the Sacramento Kings guard didn't hold back about why he's no longer wearing a Nuggets uniform.

"They didn't want me back," Westbrook said bluntly. "I don't go anywhere I'm not wanted."

The Decision That Wasn't His

The nine-time All-Star's comments came after what many considered a puzzling offseason move.

Westbrook had a $3.5 million player option with Denver that would have kept him in the Mile High City for another season. Instead, he declined it and spent months as one of the most notable free agents on the market before finally signing with Sacramento just days before the season started.

Now we know why.

"They told me not to," Westbrook explained when asked about the player option. The message from Denver's front office was clear, and the veteran point guard wasn't about to force his way onto a team that didn't want him.

A Solid Season Goes Unrewarded

What makes the situation interesting is that Westbrook's 2024-25 campaign with the Nuggets was actually pretty good.

The former MVP averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.9 rebounds across 75 regular season games.

He shot a career-best 51.7 percent from inside the three-point arc and connected on 32.3 percent of his deep shots, his most effective percentage since winning MVP in 2017.

"I thought it was great," Westbrook said about his Denver tenure. "I guess other people didn't."

He also contributed adequately in the playoffs, putting up 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game as the Nuggets battled through 13 tough playoff games.

His partnership with three-time MVP Nikola Jokic showed flashes of elite play, with the Serbian superstar praising their connection after Monday's game.

"We had really good chemistry for such a short period of time," Jokic said. "He's a great player. He's a Hall of Famer."

Denver's Roster Overhaul

Denver traded starting forward Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn for Cameron Johnson, bringing in a more versatile two-way player.

They also sent Dario Saric to Sacramento for veteran center Jonas Valanciunas, giving Jokic his most capable backup in years.

The Nuggets further strengthened their bench by re-signing championship contributor Bruce Brown and adding sharpshooter Tim Hardaway Jr., which addressed Denver's depth issues that haunted them in their seven-game loss to Oklahoma City in last season's playoffs.

The moves appear to be paying off for Denver, as the Nuggets sit at 4-2 and look like legitimate Western Conference contenders again.