Russell Westbrook to the New York Knicks
Finding a point guard seems like a priority for the New York Knicks this offseason as they’ll be entering their second year under Tom Thibodeau. While Julius Randle and RJ Barrett showed potential in being a dynamic duo in New York, the Knicks are itching to find a point guard that can play well in Thibodeau’s system.
There’s a chance that New York brings back Derrick Rose, but he may be best suited for a sixth-man role if that is the case. Along with bringing back Rose, why not make a trade for a point guard that plays a similar style of basketball as Rose? Russell Westbrook is what Rose could have been if his knees held up, and if he were a less efficient shooter.
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Before being traded to the Washington Wizards before this season, some people thought it would be impossible to unload Westbrook’s contract for the Houston Rockets. Westbrook responded by having the fourth season of his career where he averaged a triple-double. Given the state of the Wizards, there’s no reason for them to move forward with Westbrook, and if Bradley Beal is finally traded, then Westbrook would also be gone.
If Washington makes Westbrook available, what better place for him to play than at Madison Square Garden? The fearless point guard would be an ideal player to get the garden jumping as he notches insane stat lines. In addition, Westbrook’s tenacity is something that Thibodeau would love to have, and Westbrook could act as a mentor to Randle and Barrett.
Acquiring Westbrook from the Wizards would be tricky for the Knicks, even with the cap room they posses entering the offseason. New York would have to include some younger players like Obi Toppin, Kevin Knox, and Frank Ntilikina to entice Washington. But besides first-round picks, for the financial part of the trade to work, the Knicks would probably have to include Rose in a sign-and-trade or another player in a sign-and-trade scenario. It’s a far-fetched idea, but getting Westbrook in the Big Apple would be exciting for the NBA.
