The New York Knicks look to still be searching for an additional big man to fortify their center room, which is the one position on the roster that they lack true depth in. According to NBA insider Kris Pursiainen, New York is expressing interest in former Miami Heat and Utah Jazz center Omer Yurtseven.
Omer Yurtseven is reportedly on the Knicks’ radar
“The Knicks are reportedly interested in former Heat and Jazz center Omer Yurtseven,” Pursiainen posted to X. “Sports DNA reports that Yurtseven is on New York’s radar as well as the radar of Panathinaikos’ basketball club, who want to pair Yurtseven with Mathias Lessort.”
Yurtseven, 26, came to the NBA as an undrafted free agent out of Georgetown in 2021 and played his first two seasons with the Miami Heat. In those two seasons, he struggled to find consistent playing time and dealt with a severe ankle injury in 2022 that required surgery, and played in a total of just 65 games spanning his first two NBA seasons and averaged just 12.1 minutes per game.
Entering last season, he signed with the Utah Jazz, but again couldn’t find a lane to get consistent burn as he averaged just 4.8 points in 11.4 minutes per game across 48 games. In 12 games as a starter with the Jazz, the Turkish big man saw his numbers increase steadily as he averaged 8.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and shot 51% from the field. Despite this, he was waived by Utah earlier this offseason.
Yurtseven’s skillset could be unlocked playing with the Knicks
The Knicks could benefit from adding him, as he would be a cheap option that has the potential to be a serviceable backup. At 6’11”, he would give New York extra size in the second unit, which is something they need desperately as Precious Achiuwa is currently their tallest bench player at 6’8”.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau is also known for unlocking the full potential of a lot of under-the-radar centers (i.e. Isaiah Hartenstein), and while Yurtseven hasn’t proved a whole lot in the NBA, there’s little reason to believe that he can’t reach his full potential playing in a more defined role.
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As of now, there is no indication that the Knicks and Yurtseven are close to any sort of deal, but with training camp not too far away, New York could ink one more big man like Yurtseven to round out their rotation for the 2024 season.