Russell Westbrook Retires After 18 Seasons; Kevin Durant Salutes His Old OKC Running Mate

Russell Westbrook is done. The nine-time All-Star and NBA triple-double king announced this week he's stepping away after 18 seasons, and a day later Kevin Durant — his old Oklahoma City backcourt partner — posted a lengthy tribute on X on Aug. 13 calling the career iconic.

Durant and Westbrook spent eight years together to open their careers, dragging the franchise that had just relocated from Seattle to five playoff appearances and one Finals run in 2011-12, where they lost to LeBron James and the Heat. That's the version of these two most fantasy managers remember before the roster churn scattered everyone.

In his post, Durant pushed back on the loud, emotional caricature Westbrook wore for years. He described Russ instead as quiet and methodical, a lead-by-example guy who saved the fireworks for game night and inspired people who never heard him say a word. Durant said Westbrook set the tone by training before practice, a habit KD said became his own routine after asking assistant coach Maurice Cheeks which workout was harder.

Durant leaned into the shared, almost sacred nature of the pro grind — bus rides, plane rides, card games, jokes, arguments, the whole thing — and closed by wishing his former teammate luck in the next phase. It's the kind of send-off you only get from someone who was in the trenches with you.

What It Means On The Court

For fantasy purposes, Westbrook's retirement is more of a career-obituary moment than a live roster event — he wasn't a difference-maker on your board this past season. The bigger fantasy story is what it says about the aging arc of this generation's stars, and specifically about Durant, who's still very much rostered.

Durant sits at our rank #21 overall (#8 at his position) heading into 2026-27, now with the Houston Rockets. Last season (2025-26) he put up 26 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists across a durable 78 games, good for 41.7 fantasy points per game. That's elite production for a player this deep into his career.

The form arrow is pointing up, too. Over his last five games, Durant averaged +4.8 fantasy points above his season mark — not the profile of a guy running out of gas. Durability is the underrated part: 78 games played is a number most managers would kill for from a top-25 asset.

The Fantasy Fallout

Winner: nobody new, really — Westbrook's minutes and usage aren't a windfall waiting to be scooped, because he wasn't a fantasy centerpiece anymore. Don't go chasing phantom value on his old team's guards expecting a vacuum.

The name to actually act on is Durant. Hold him with confidence. At 41.7 FPTS/G last season and trending upward in his recent five-game stretch, he's a rock-solid every-week starter in Houston, and his 78-game floor makes him one of the safer top-25 bets on the board.

One more watch item: LeBron James, now in Philadelphia, is the other survivor from that 2012 Finals and sits right behind KD at rank #23 (#9 at position) after posting 41.4 FPTS/G across 60 games last season. His last-five surge of +7.9 fantasy points is even hotter than Durant's. If you own either, this retirement wave is a reminder to enjoy the elite production while it lasts — and to keep a close eye on the games-played column.