Nine-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook agreed to a deal with the Sacramento Kings, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Charania noted Westbrook’s existing connections with some Kings players:

Westbrook declined a $3.4 million player option with the Denver Nuggets, which wasn’t a complete shock given the relatively low dollar figure. It wasn’t immediately clear what kind of market he’d have as a free agent, though.

For better or worse, you know what you’re getting with the 36-year-old. While he has adapted to a slightly lesser role than he had during his peak, his playing style hasn’t really changed.

Westbrook put up solid numbers with the Nuggets. He averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists, and he shot 44.9 percent from the field. He was particularly effective from the right corner, where he hit 48.2 percent of his threes, per NBA.com.

The 2016-17 MVP was also capable of delivering a performance every so often that called back to his prime. In a 124-122 win over the Denver Nuggets last November, he had 29 points, six boards and six assists.

But the signs of Westbrook’s continued to decline are impossible to ignore.

According to Basketball Reference, he attempted four free throws per 36 minutes, the second-fewest of his career. More than a third of his shot attempts were from long range, too, which set a personal high.

Westbrook wasn’t getting to the basket as much as he did in the past and settled for more long-range jumpers. That’s a bad combo for somebody who has consistently been a poor shooter.

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, meanwhile, learned the hard way how tricky it is to let Westbrook be himself on the court while working within a collective unit.

Fans were stunned when the Nuggets fired Malone with three games left in the regular season. It didn’t take long for the drama that had unfolded behind the scenes to come to light, and Westbrook indirectly played a role in the tension.

The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Tony Jones reported he “might have been the biggest lightning rod” between Malone and general manager Calvin Booth, who was also dismissed.

Amick and Jones added that “Malone’s choice to continue supporting Westbrook, despite the frustration he was causing on and off the floor, led to a loss of credibility among the team’s key players.”

Midway through the playoffs came another report, this time from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, that pointed to a “heated argument” between Westbrook and Aaron Gordon. Gordon described the framing as “so far from the truth.”

Still, the postseason is an inopportune time for players to feel compelled to address in-house business.

Shelburne ended her piece by citing a Nuggets source who said they “can’t see another team” signing Westbrook this summer.

“But I never thought we would do it,” the source also said.

It’s easy to talk yourself into the idea of signing Westbrook because of his overall résumé and the minimal cost of adding him at this point. But there’s also a reason why he has bounced around with three teams in four years.

The Kings will hope they can help Westbrook write a better ending to his career.

Sacramento has yet to fully replace De’Aaron Fox following his midseason trade to the San Antonio Spurs. This offseason, there was no pathway for the team to find one player who could replicate the 2022-23 All-Star’s impact on the floor.

With the additions of Westbrook Dennis Schröder, the Kings are basically trying to recreate Fox in the aggregate.