NY Knicks: Pros, Cons of trading for Russell Westbrook

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Sep 12, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; Houston Rockets forward Ben McLemore (16) and guard Russell Westbrook (0) celebrate in the first half of game five of the second round against the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 NBA Playoffs at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Pro of Trading for Westbrook: It moves the needle

It’s a cliche when talking about Leon Rose taking over as president of the New York Knicks, but many expect the former player agent to make some moves this offseason to “move the needle” in a positive direction.

The Knicks have missed the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons. They have been lottery dwellers, one of the worst teams in the league, having not even sniffed a playoff spot since the 2013-14 team won 37 games.

While rebuilding takes time, and it is important to give the young players a lion’s share of the minutes, adding an All-Star playmaker would undoubtedly improve the Knicks’ chances of playing competitive basketball next season. What does competitive mean with Westbrook? As I mentioned on the previous slide, he probably wouldn’t turn them into playoff contenders. But he would at least keep them from being the worst team in the league.

Westbrook has a lot of mileage on his body, but one of his greatest strengths is his durability. He played in 57 games this past coronavirus-shortened season, after playing in at least 70 in his previous four campaigns.

While he is no longer an MVP candidate, he still made the All-NBA third team this past season. Putting a player of his caliber next to RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, and whomever the team selects in the upcoming draft, should help those players develop in a competitive environment.

There’s a lot not to like about adding Westbrook to the Knicks, but you can’t overlook the fact that he is still plays at a high-level and would be a drastic upgrade over their current point guard rotation.

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