Despite not having a head coach in place yet following the firing of Tom Thibodeau, the New York Knicks are preparing for a pivotal NBA free agency period.
With free agency set to begin at 6 p.m. ET on Monday, teams will be looking to get aggressive quickly. There are quite a few good players available on the market, with one of those players being veteran point guard Russell Westbrook.
Already, there have been quite a few teams connected as potential suitors for Westbrook. Could the Knicks be one of them?
According to a report from veteran NBA insider Marc Stein, New York is indeed among the list of teams interested.
Read more: Knicks Showing Interest in Sleeper Free Agent Guard: Report
Stein also named the New Orleans Pelicans and Minnesota Timberwolves as potential landing spots for Westbrook. In addition, the Sacramento Kings are a team to keep an eye on as well when the market opens.
“Add the Pelicans, Knicks and Timberwolves to the ever-growing list of teams said to be in the market for veteran guards,” Stein wrote. “The Knicks, in fact, are said to be a possible destination — in addition to Sacramento and a potential return to Denver — for Russell Westbrook.”
Westbrook played the 2024-25 NBA season with the Denver Nuggets. He was a big part of the success that the team had.
Throughout his career, Westbrook has been a dominant superstar. He is playing late in his career at this point, but still has plenty to offer teams who need help. The Knicks could certainly use help off the bench at the guard position behind Jalen Brunson.
Read more: Report: Mavericks Mentioned as Possible LeBron James Trade Destination
During the 2024-25 season with the Nuggets, Westbrook played in 75 games and made 36 starts. He averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game, while shooting 44.9 percent from the floor and 32.3 percent from three-point range.
At 36 years old, Westbrook is far from being the player he once was. However, he’s still capable of scoring the ball and creating shots for teammates. That is a role he could thrive in with New York.
Expect to hear a lot of chatter about Westbrook as free agents gets underway. Keep an eye on the Knicks as a possible suitor, but there are plenty of other teams who would like to add him to their roster as well.
For more on the New York Knicks and general NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
The post Report: Knicks Prepared to Pursue Russell Westbrook in NBA Free Agency appeared first on Newsweek.
