The New York Knicks have been looking for another free agent to fill out their rotation, but they might be losing the perfect fit.
Over the past several weeks, the Knicks have been looking to retool around their core to try and better compete for a championship. While they’ve made a coaching change and added some key free agents, there is still some reason for skepticism going into next season.
Although Mike Brown will already have a more reliable bench and should give his players some time to rest, the Knicks’ stars have already had to deal with a massive load under Tom Thibodeau in recent years. That said, the Knicks could easily be dealing with some injuries next season as the wear and tear of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals run catches up to them.
That’s where former MVP Russell Westbrook could make a difference. Still bringing the energy every night as he gets set for year 18, Westbrook might be the perfect fit in New York on nights where the Knicks are missing some other key guys and could always be a solid contributor off the bench when everyone is healthy.
However, rumors of his potential signing with the Sacramento Kings have gotten louder by the day, and Empire Sports Media’s Alexander Wilson recently wrote that those rumors might be the nail in the coffin for New York’s chances of grabbing Westbrook. Although the Knicks haven’t exactly pursued him strongly, Westbrook likely would be a better fit than Wilson’s proposed backup plan of Ben Simmons.
As the former Oklahoma City Thunder star heads into another season, it seems that he will still only be in Madison Square Garden as an opponent.