NBA free agency is just minutes from tipping off, and one name has already emerged as a potential New York Knicks target. According to SNY’s Ian Begley, there will be “mutual interest” between Russell Westbrook and the Knicks when the market opens.
The Knicks are one of several teams expected to pursue the veteran guard. Westbrook would come cheap, as New York can offer either the $5 million tax-payer midlevel exception or a veteran minimum deal.
He'd also fill a major need as a second-unit ball-handler behind Jalen Brunson. But a move like this could also set the stage for a different, more heart-wrenching move.
If the Knicks are serious about signing Westbrook, it could — and arguably should — signal the end of Josh Hart’s time in New York. The two have overlapping skill sets, and in a season where the Knicks’ lack of floor spacing was their fatal flaw, doubling down on another non-shooter in Hart and Westbrook just wouldn't make sense.
Something would have to give. And that something might be one of the most beloved players on the roster.
Russell Westbrook could signal the end of Josh Hart's Knicks career
The Knicks’ offense ran out of gas in the second half of the season, and their biggest flaw was obvious. Adding Karl-Anthony Towns was supposed to unlock the Knicks' offense, but without consistent shooting around him, the offense too often stalled out.
That’s why this offseason needs to be about maximizing KAT, and why rostering both Hart and Westbrook at the same time makes little sense. Don't get it twisted, Hart is a better player at this stage, no question.
But in an ideal world, Westbrook could give the Knicks about 75% of what Hart does, with the added bonus of being able to run the second unit as the primary ball-handler, a role the Knicks have struggled to fill.
That’s the one area where Westbrook has clear value — New York desperately needs someone to organize the offense when Brunson sits. That's not what Hart is on the team to do. Westbrook can, however.
There’s also the added element of how defenses treat the two. Over the second half of the season, teams often hid their centers on Hart, daring him to shoot and clogging the lane for Towns. That revelation is ultimately what tanked the Knicks' offense.
That strategy is far more difficult to pull off with Westbrook, who still has enough downhill juice to collapse a defense and force mismatches. If the Knicks stagger KAT with Westbrook-led second units, it could unlock a different version of their offense.
That’s the theory. If not, running lineups with both Westbrook and Hart would be a spacing disaster, and that’s where the trade conversation begins. If the Knicks sign Westbrook, trading Hart becomes the obvious path.
Of course, there's also the emotional element to consider. Hart is the heart-and-hustle soul of the Knicks and is best friends with Brunson. The front office already fired Tom Thibodeau. Moving Hart could test that relationship even further.
It also wouldn’t really align with the idea of bringing in someone like Mike Brown, who’s seen as a more offensively driven head coach and a top candidate for the job. Westbrook’s fit in that system would be questionable at best.
The Knicks have also been linked to other options. Jordan Clarkson, just bought out by Utah, would offer more spacing but comes with serious defensive liabilities.
There’s also an internal option in Tyler Kolek, but banking on a second-year guard who barely played as a rookie to run the offense is a big swing, especially for a team trying to contend.
Westbrook wouldn't be a perfect signing for the Knicks, but there's a world where it makes sense. Unfortunately, that world might just include the end of Josh Hart's Knicks career.