Getty Head coach Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks reacts as the Knicks take on the Dallas Mavericks.
Dating back to the early months of summer, many have been found sitting at the edge of their seats anticipating the news to break that the New York Knicks have taken part in a behemoth of a trade for any semblance of a noteworthy player.
Though such a transaction has yet to take place, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News shared on December 13 the Knickerbockers are currently viewed as the heavy favorites to land Los Angeles Lakers point guard, Russell Westbrook if he were to be dealt.
t.co/Hq8iqLXad9 compiles sportsbook odds and it has the Knicks as heavy favorites to trade for Russell Westbrook
A former league MVP back in 2016, a perennial All-Star, and a member of the league’s 75th Anniversary Team Westbrook, now in year 15, finds himself in the twilight years of his Hall of Fame career and, sadly, on a steep decline from a production standpoint.
With this, coupled with his lofty $206 million payday, it has been a frequently buzzed-about rumor that Rob Pelinka and company are interested in moving on from the ill-fitting point guard and, with this, fans and media pundits alike have been found concocting schemes where the two storied franchises in the Lakers and Knicks could lend a helping hand to one another.
Now, while there have been many to chastise the notion of such a move, with Westbrook’s inefficiencies and the concept of New York potentially offloading draft capital to execute such hypothetical trade being two hotly discussed aspects of the idea, there’s a strong argument to be made that such a move could be well worth it for the organization from a big picture perspective.
Knicks Could Benefit Greatly from Westbrook Deal
The Knicks trading for Russell Westbrook would likely be less about acquiring him for his skill set and more for what his addition would do for their salary books, particularly after the conclusion of the 2022-23 season.
Although the 34-year-old is earning an egregious salary of $47.1 million this year, and is posting a mere 14.7 points, 7.5 assists, and 5.9 rebounds through 26 games played, a trade for Westbrook could, ironically, help the team’s financial situation moving forward.
Trading Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose, Cam Reddish and a future first round pick for Russell Westbrook, works on so many levels. For both the Knicks and the Lakers.
Many trade packages that have been concocted involving the veteran heading to the Big Apple have included the likes of Evan Fournier heading west.
Should such a swap take place — along with other assets to make the numbers work, of course –, in a nutshell, the Knicks would be exchanging the remaining $55.8 million that’s potentially owed to Fournier through 2025 for Westbrook’s deal which expires after this campaign.
Evan Fournier hasn’t played in 15 consecutive games
He’s made $3,292,682.93 in that time
Considering the France native is already out of the rotation for the Knicks, should they offload him in a deal for Westbrook, there would be little to no negative repercussions coming as a result of his dismissal from the roster.
Knicks Targeting Other Lakers
Outside of Russell Westbrook, it appears the New York Knicks could be open to pursuing other Los Angeles Lakers players in a mid-season trade this year, as Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype reported on December 13 that the front office has already pursued a trade for Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn.
Report: Knicks engaged Lakers on deal that would’ve sent Evan Fournier to L.A. for Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn
Per the report, the proposed deal involved sending Fournier to Los Angeles, thus furthering the notion that the Knicks are looking to shed salary.