NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Knicks, Russell Westbrook Trade, Taurean Prince

Russell Westbrook could have been a New York Knick.

The 2017 MVP was ultimately traded by the Houston Rockets to the Washington Wizards in exchange for John Wall, but there was a possibility that he could have been playing in the Big Apple instead of the nation's capital.

According to ESPN's Zach Lowe, the Knicks were only interested in Westbrook if the Rockets also attached assets in the deal.

"There. Was. No. Market. For. Russell. Westbrook," Lowe said on his Lowe Post podcast one day after the trade. "I kept saying this over and over again. The Clippers were not interested. The Knicks were not interested unless they were incentivized. I don't know where the Hornets noise came from. Maybe it was credible. All I can say is from the people I know there, I never heard they were interested. There was, to my knowledge, nothing."

Once it became clear that Houston was not interested in packaging additional assets in a potential trade, New York lost interest in the nine-time NBA All-Star and remained focused on keeping their cap space open for the 2021 free agency market.

Westbrook is owed $132 million over the next three seasons, and although the Knicks are in the throes of a rebuild and could use a superstar point guard, they were "less inclined" to be tied to his max contract for that long, per SNY's Ian Begley.

"A few teams in touch with the Knicks came away with the impression that New York was less inclined to take on a salary like Westbrook's in a trade," Begley said.

Now on his third team in three years, the 2020 All-NBA third-team selection will be playing alongside Bradley Beal, who was second in the league in scoring last season at 30.5 points per game.

But Beal is confident, at least from the outset, that Westbrook will shine in the District.

"You look at it and see who we are bringing in and the caliber of player in Russ and what he is able to do, former MVP, walking triple-double, he is going to bring a spark to our team and an energy to our city," Beal told ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "I think there is a lot of false narratives that people have on him

"So I won't put any stock into those things until I get some time with Russ on the floor. I don't think it will be anything where he comes in and he's like trying to run the show and just do everything by himself. He realizes it's a group effort."

Last season, Westbrook averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game.

Will Brooklyn Dump Taurean Prince?

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

What happened to Taurean Prince?

That's a good question, considering that after signing a two-year, $29 million deal, the former Baylor standout's numbers took a slight dip.

Prince went from averaging 13.5 points and 2.1 assists during the 2018-19 season to 12.1 points and 1.8 assists last year.

But since he increased his rebounds, from 3.6 in 2018-19 to 6.0 last season, that drop in production is not enough to raise a red flag.

That's likely why the Brooklyn Nets aren't in a hurry to dump him to clear cap space, per ESPN's Zach Lowe.

"The Nets have shown no inclination to salary dump Prince, let alone attach a pick to do so," Lowe wrote. "That's smart. Prince won't ever be a No. 1 option at this level, but he can be a damned good plug-and-play support guy."

With Kevin Durant finally taking the court this season alongside Kyrie Irving, the Nets should have plenty of opportunities for a player like Prince to excel, especially when it comes to open shots from the perimeter.

The 6'7" forward's three-point shooting percentage did drop to 33.9 percent from 39 percent last year, but he's expected to bounce back.

In fact, he could be vital to the team's overall identity and success as a three-and-D guy if he can improve on both ends of the floor.

He'll have to properly use his 7-foot wingspan and remain focused on defense, but if he can do that and regain his efficient shooting stroke, Brooklyn will look smart for keeping him.

Follow Bleacher Report writer Maurice Bobb on Twitter @ReeseReport.