The New York Knicks need another center and their options are running low.
Mitchell Robinson will start, but who will be his backup? With Isaiah Hartenstein moving to Oklahoma City, here's a look at the list of candidates.
Free agents Moe Wagner, Goga Bitadze and Jonas Valanciunas are now out of contract and were outside New York's budget anyway, and the Knicks, who still have Jericho Sims playing behind Robinson, don't have much money to add to their roster.
As of now, one player who is already familiar with this group could be the front-runner to start next season as New York's backup center.
Precious Achiuwa remains an unrestricted free agent, and league sources say the team is open to bringing him back. Achiuwa has been a favorite of head coach Tom Thibodeau since his December acquisition from the Toronto Raptors. While he may not be the traditional shot blocker Thibodeau prefers in the middle of the defense, the Knicks could use Achiuwa on the perimeter and in a more switch-heavy scheme than other big men. Thibodeau believes in rim protection, but if the team can't find a 7-footer to anchor the defense, he'll deploy other blueprints. Achiuwa and Sims will both be guarding out of the paint.
If the Knicks were to bring Achiuwa back on a modest contract, they could use the spongy 6-foot-8 New York native behind Robinson. If Robinson is sidelined (likely considering he's only played more than 66 games once in his six-year career), Thibodeau would be forced to use a smaller player.
Other than Achiuwa, there aren't many promising free agents left.
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Going further
With the NBA free agent market shrinking, which center could the Knicks target?
