The New York Knicks may be considering trading for a center later in the offseason.
The Knicks lost running back Isaiah Hartenstein to the Oklahoma City Thunder on a three-year, $87 million contract and will need to find a replacement for him in free agency or through a trade. One player they could consider is Golden State Warriors big man Kevon Looney.
“The Warriors are unlikely to be sellers in this market, but a trade with the Knicks could give them additional ammunition to pursue one of their bigger targets. Looney would fit better at No. 5 in New York than Achiuwa, and Golden State could leverage both him and a draft pick heading into next season,” wrote SNY contributor David Vertzberger.
In a potential deal, Precious Achiuwa could agree to a sign-and-trade with the Knicks and then be traded by the Warriors for Looney. The deal could also include overseas draft rights and future late draft picks, but the Achiuwa-for-Looney exchange would be the main focus of the trade.
The 28-year-old Looney has spent his entire nine-year career with the Warriors since being selected 30th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft out of UCLA. Looney was part of Golden State's championship teams in 2017, 2018 and 2022 and also appeared in the NBA Finals in 2016 and 2019. That means Looney has played in the Finals more times than he has missed them, giving him more playoff experience than most players in the NBA.
Looney's rebounding ability and defensive prowess would also be a welcome addition to New York's second unit. He may be a safer option than the younger and unproven Sims. Looney's ceiling may not be as high, but the Knicks know what they can get out of him, so it makes sense to acquire him in a trade.
In the end, the Knicks would acquire a center and only have to spend about $8 million on his salary this season, which is roughly what Hartenstein made last year.
That's an incredibly good deal.
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