Knicks linked to former NBA MVP, 9-time All-Star originally appeared on The Sporting News
The New York Knicks were one of the loudest teams of last year’s postseason, coming one game short of their first trip to the NBA Finals in 26 years as the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed.
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Their most recent offseason, however, has been much quieter.
The Knicks made one pick on the second day of the NBA Draft, selecting Nevada guard Kobe Sanders 50th overall. His draft rights were traded to the Los Angeles Clippers that same night; in exchange, the Knicks received the draft rights to French power forward Mohamed Diawara (who was taken with the No. 51 pick) and Serbian power forward Luka Mitrović, the final selection of the event’s 2015 edition who has continued playing in Europe for the past decade.
The franchise was not very active on the free agency front either, adding just two players — the Utah Jazz’s Jordan Clarkson and the Philadelphia 76ers’ Guerschon Yabusele — through that roster mechanism.
Keeping together the same team that nearly eliminated the Indiana Pacers is a smart strategy, but the Knicks could find a difference-making veteran piece in the form of former MVP and nine-time All-Star Russell Westbrook.
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“That’s a team that needs a guy like him, that actually has a slot for a guy like him,” NBA analyst Rachel Nichols said in an appearance on Sports Illustrated’s “Open Floor” show. “I think he would flourish in New York. I think New York fans would love him, and I think he would be able to fill that sort of vet energy role really well.”
Westbrook has bounced around the league in recent seasons, playing for five teams (the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets) over the past six seasons after spending the first 11 years of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Last year, Westbrook averaged 27.9 minutes played across 75 regular-season contests, contributing 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game.