NBA Trade Rumors: Don’t expect the New York Knicks to try to acquire Russell Westbrook away from the Los Angeles Lakers.
It’s difficult to look at the New York Knicks this season objectively without coming to the conclusion that this team was mightily disappointing. Changes are expected this offseason with the point guard position as a priority.
As is the case every offseason, the option of acquiring a stopgap will be on the table. With one big-name likely being available in Russell Westbrook. However, according to a recent report, it doesn’t sound like that’s something the Knicks would want to explore.
This makes even more sense considering their experience this past season with Kemba Walker.
"[via Marc Stein]”I pitched the idea to Knicks people time and again going back to the deadline, and they have no interest,” Fischer said. “… Everything I’ve heard is that New York is trying to grow this group as it is and mix and match a few parts and move forward.”"
The expectation is that the Knicks will be looking for an answer at the point guard position during the offseason, but at the very least it’s safe to eliminate Russ as an option – whether that be as a stopgap or on a long-term type deal.
Either way, Russ is probably not going to be an option for many teams. He’s in a rough spot and it’s hard to see many teams lining up to acquire him – whether that’s via trade or buyout. Like many other teams that will be looking to find a point guard, the Knicks will have to look elsewhere.
It’s going to be interesting to see how the Knicks approach their search for a point guard. If they don’t luck into one during the draft, they’ll have to find one via free agency or the trade market. And, quite frankly, there may not be many options.
The Knicks have already been linked to Jalen Brunson, who the expectation will be their No. 1 option during the offseason.