Breaking: Knicks Looking For Backup Center, Insider Reveals Possible ‘Favorite’ Among Their options…

Knicks looking for backup center, insider reveals possible ‘favorite’ among their options
Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Daniel Benjamin | Last updated 7/4/24
The New York Knicks are likely feeling good about the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season, as they should. Still, the Knicks have some work to do with their roster after losing Isaiah Hartenstein to the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency.

New York has 10 players under contract for the upcoming season, with salaries and allocations totaling $173.1 million. That leaves the Knicks $5 million under the first tax apron, where they are currently hard-capped. However, The Athletic’s Fred Katz believes that the Knicks will amend their trade with Brooklyn for Mikal Bridges, thus creating more wiggle room.

“If they execute the Mikal Bridges trade as currently constructed, sending Bojan Bogdanović and draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets for the 27-year-old wing, they will be hard-capped at the first apron, of which they are only $5 million short. Chances are the Knicks will find a way to revise the trade, which is not yet finalized, sending out more money than they take in and thus hard-capping themselves at the second apron, giving the team an extra $11 million of wiggle room.

“The Knicks could then use the $5.17 million taxpayer midlevel exception to sign someone. They could bring back their own free agents too.

“At the moment, one player who already knows this group could be the favorite to enter next season as New York’s backup center. Precious Achiuwa remains an unrestricted free agent.”

The Knicks’ biggest need is a backup for center Mitchell Robinson. Robinson is an experienced starter but is injury-prone and has been more effective when coming off the bench.

But right now, Robinson figures to be the starter. Jericho Sims and Mamadi Diakite are also on the roster, but the latter’s $2.2 million is non-guaranteed. Sims is an adequate backup, but there are better options.

So, who is out there for the Knicks to grab?

If the Knicks could work Day’Ron Sharpe into the Bridges deal, that would be ideal. The Knicks would be adding just around $4 million in salary, though perhaps they could send Diakite or Sims.

Possible options for Knicks
Precious Achiuwa – free agent
Precious Achiuwa is an unrestricted free agent as the Knicks declined to extend a qualifying offer ($6.3 million) to the 24-year-old. However, a league source told Katz that “the organization has left open the possibility of bringing him back.” Katz appears to believe it would be a good idea for the 6-foot-8 forward to return, and the Knicks own his Bird rights.

“Achiuwa grew into a favorite of head coach Tom Thibodeau’s after arriving from the Toronto Raptors in December. He might not be the conventional shot blocker Thibodeau prefers in the middle of his defense, but the Knicks could send Achiuwa to the perimeter, using him in more switch-happy strategies than they would with their other big men. Thibodeau’s ethos is rim protection, but if the team can’t find a 7-footer to anchor its defense, he’ll deploy other blueprints. Both Achiuwa and Sims will venture out of the paint to guard.

“If the Knicks brought back Achiuwa on a modest contract, they could slot the stretchy, 6-foot-8 New Yorker behind Robinson. If Robinson were to miss time, a possibility considering he’s played more than 66 games only once in his six-year career, Thibodeau would have to go small.”