Knicks to Pursue 9-Time All-Star, Former MVP in Free Agency: Report

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Dible | Last updated Jun 30, 2025 4:37 PM ET

The New York Knicks are interested in a volatile roller coaster of a player this free agency who can provide extreme highs and frightening lows from game to game, but who no one around the league has ever accused of being boring.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Monday, June 30, the opening day of free agency, that the Knicks have former Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook in their sights.

"Russell Westbrook has emerged as a potential free agent target for the Knicks and Al Horford is a top target for Golden State, league sources tell @JakeLFischer and me," Stein posted to his X account.

Russell Westbrook has emerged as a potential free agent target for the Knicks and Al Horford is a top target for Golden State, league sources tell @JakeLFischer and me.

LOTS more here in this What We're Hearing compilation as the 6 PM ET bell draws near: https://t.co/bZDtCeAViL pic.twitter.com/sgJ9aSIgjY
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 30, 2025

Westbrook has appeared in nine All-Star games over the course of his 17-year career and finished in the top five in MVP voting on four separate occasions, including in 2016-17 when he won the award by averaging a triple-double with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It has been several seasons since Westbrook has been in the MVP conversation, but he remains a polarizing bench asset who has proven both an injection of energy to teams like the Nuggets and, at times, an angry distraction during different stops along the way -- namely as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers earlier in the 2020s.

He hits unrestricted free agency on Monday coming off of a season in which he averaged nearly 28 minutes of court time in Denver, playing 75 games (36 starts) and putting up 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per night.

His most recent deal paid him $6.77 million total over two years, which means he could provide an inexpensive spark to a Knicks bench that got thin as the playoffs wore on, particularly in the Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers.

Westbrook will turn 37 years old during the 2025-26 campaign.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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