Westbrook announced his right hand surgery! Repair two fractures and may jump out of the contract and re-sign the basic salary

On May 28, Nuggets defender Russell Westbrook announced in the latest content of his personal newsletter that he would undergo right-hand surgery on Tuesday morning local time. According to Westbrook, the surgery will repair two fractures in his hand during the season. The 36-year-old didn't reveal a formal recovery timeline, but said he was optimistic that he would be able to fully recover soon.

Westbrook said: "This morning (US time), I will undergo right-hand surgery to treat and repair two fractures that I have experienced during this season. Thank you for your support throughout the season, I can't wait to return to the arena at 100%. "

In the Nuggets vs. Thunder series, Westbrook tied his ring finger to his little finger for a long time, with four of his five fingers wrapped in bandages.

Hand injuries are no strangers to Westbrook. He had undergone surgery for a fracture of his right hand in 2014 and had surgery for a ligament injury and fracture of his left hand in 2019 and 2024, respectively.

Westbrook played an important role after signing a two-year bottom salary contract with the Nuggets in the 2024-25 season (including the second-year player option). In 75 games (36 starts), he averaged 27.9 minutes per game, contributing 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals, with a shooting percentage of 44.9%/32.3%/66.1% in three events.

Although the Nuggets had a higher net win when Westbrook was absent, able to win 8.6 points in a hundred leg and lose 0.6 points in a hundred leg, he still received positive reviews in Denver because he brought energy and leadership from the bench and had a great appearance in the season with multiple substitutions of injured starters, including Aaron Gordon.

Westbrook needs to make a decision on his $3.47 million player option in the coming weeks. As a free agent, his estimated base salary in the 2025-26 season is $3.63 million. So even if he wants to go back to Denver and is willing to accept another basic salary contract, it might be more reasonable to choose to jump out of the contract to sign a new one.