Russell Westbrook has requested a trade from the Houston Rockets. The 2017 MVP has only been there for a season, but is already looking to move on. At $130m for the next 3 seasons, Westbrook comes at a heavy price tag. The Knicks should look past that and finally get their star.
The Knicks have long needed a change in culture, and Russell Westbrook will get that done for you. Russ is probably the most competitive guy in the league and will give it his all and more every single night. His playstyle might not fit with a lot of other superstars, but he can get you 40 wins basically by himself.
The Knicks would be the 2017 Thunder, but in the East, where it’s easier to grab wins and get a high seed. Assuming they don’t give up R.J. Barrett or Mitchell Robinson, the group can develop into a very competitive team. The presence of Westbrook might also attract other stars, although that remains to be seen.
The fans in New York have been waiting so long to see any type of excitement. Westbrook is still a very exciting player. It’s easy to look at his performance in the playoffs and think that he’s not good anymore. But his quad injury and him catching Covid-19 early on in the bubble had a lot to do with that. Westbrook was playing some of his best basketball before the hiatus, and there’s no reason to believe that he can’t go back to that.
Of course, Russ can’t shoot very well. Neither can Barrett (at the moment) or Robinson. Spacing would be a huge problem. More than anything, the Knicks would need to acquire a 3-4 combo that can stretch the floor like no other.
And for now, that’s exactly what the Knicks need. Acquiring a star via trade and trying to surround him with good pieces. Lot of people might not see the point, but Russ is still under contract for 3 years, so this is not a one-year plan. The Knicks have to create a winning culture first and then think about competing.
And they can take their time. The Knicks still have the biggest market in the NBA. The Big Apple. The Mecca. Free agents will always keep an eye on New York if that franchise turns around completely. Playing in the biggest market on a winning team is a dream for any player, with the exposure to grow their personal brand.
On the other hand, Russ needs this too. If he can be the guy to turn the Knicks around, he will be an instant legend in New York. Westbrook has been put in a negative light over the past few years for his inability to coexist with other stars, but that’s not entirely true either. Harden and Paul George both ended in the top 3 of MVP voting with Westbrook, which isn’t being mentioned a lot.
In New York, there will simultaneously be more and less pressure than before. No pressure to win, but the biggest and brightest spotlights will be cast on him at The Garden. Something tells us Westbrook likes it exactly that way, but will Dolan go into his pocket to pay Russ and will the Rockets just want to dump Westbrook’s contract instead of getting something valuable?
Courtside 