There didn’t seem to be any traction between the New York Knicks and Russell Westbrook, but now fans don’t have to worry about the 2017 MVP making his way to Madison Square Garden. New York’s front office is browsing the market for a point guard, but Westbrook shouldn’t even be considered.
And according to Marc Stein, the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly want to keep Westbrook this offseason. The 33-year-old has a $47.1 million player option for 2022-23, so a trade would’ve been difficult regardless.
It appears as if Los Angeles’ front office learned a lesson from 2021 and it’s to be more cautious with the organization’s offseason approach. Even with LeBron James, the Lakers were an absolute bust this past season. Somehow the Knicks had a better year than them, and that’s saying a lot.
But Los Angeles isn’t desperate enough to release Westbrook before the start of the 2022-23 season, which is a smart thing to avoid doing. Stein wrote (subscription required):
"“The Lakers are tuning out the skeptics yet again and insisting to anyone who will listen that they would rather keep Russell Westbrook on the roster for next season than surrender additional assets to convince someone to trade for him. The Lakers are also said to be adamant that they won’t release the former MVP and eat his $47.1 million player option for next season after Westbrook picks it up.”"
Knicks fans don’t have to worry about team pursuing Russell Westbrook
As mentioned before, Westbrook seemed to be off New York’s radar already, but now that the likelihood of either Donovan Mitchell or Jalen Brunson joining the team has dipped, the Knicks’ front office might’ve gotten desperate.
Immanuel Quickley, Miles McBride, and Derrick Rose (if he isn’t traded) are the makings of a solid point guard trio, and none of them are bad enough to push to the side for Westbrook.
Remember how Quickley closed out the year? He didn’t receive a lot of in-game development this past season, but he’s capable of taking over the starting point guard role. And if Westbrook were to step in, his presence would only continue to prohibit Quickley’s development. We all know how Tom Thibodeau loves his veterans (ie: Alec Burks).
So, it’s for the best that the Lakers are reportedly moving forward with the idea of holding onto Westbrook.
Let’s not forget that the media believed that the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles would be the two teams in the 2022 NBA Finals. The Nets didn’t win a playoff game and the Lakers didn’t even make it to the play-in tournament.
Be thankful, New York. Oh, and at least the Knicks have the No. 11 pick in the draft next month because the Lakers won’t know what that feels like for a few more years…
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