The Paris Olympics are now over for men’s basketball, with Team USA defeating the France National Team in a thrilling Gold Medal Game. Many guys who played for France raised some eyebrows in the NBA realm during the tournament, with the New York Knicks reportedly having conversations with one French star earlier this offseason.
The Knicks showed interest in Mathias Lessort
According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the Knicks touched base with France’s Mathias Lessort. New York has the draft rights to the French forward that date back to the 2020 season. Lessort averaged 7.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in 13.2 minutes per game en route to a silver medal for France, and won the EuroLeague championship with Panathinaikos, a team based in Greece.
“Did the Knicks consider Lessort as they were searching for depth on the front line earlier this offseason? They did. New York inquired about Lessort’s interest in signing but the player and team were unable to find common ground. The Knicks still have an open spot on their 15-man roster,” Begley said.
At 6’9” and 256 lbs, Lessort would bring the size and physicality that the Knicks are currently missing at the backup center position. They re-signed Precious Achiuwa earlier this offseason to fill in that void left by Isaiah Hartenstein’s departure, but they lack true depth behind him. Lessort profiles as an exceptional rebounder, leading the EuroLeague in rebounding in 2023 with 7.1 per game.
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Lessort also provides veteran leadership with championship experience. Though not at the NBA level, he has shown that he can deliver strong performances on the global stage like he did during the Paris Olympics, and NBA teams are sure to express their interest following his and his team’s performance.
Adding Lessort would be purely for depth
As Begley noted, the Knicks still have a spot available on the active roster, though who they will sign to fill in that spot remains to be seen. Lessort could give the Knicks’ center room some much-needed depth, but he also wouldn’t find much playing time behind Robinson and Achiuwa provided they each stay healthy.
It remains to be seen if the Knicks will re-engage in negotiations with Lessort now that the Olympics have wrapped up. It is not likely that anything serious will materialize anytime soon, but be on the lookout for the Knicks to be involved in more discussions surrounding some other France National Team standouts.
