Instead of being aggressive and forcing moves, the New York Knicks have taken a far more cautious and judicial approach. They’ve operated with a sense of checks and balances, considering every move and the potential impact it will have on the roster in the near term and long term.
Knicks’ Key Acquisitions and Extensions
Acquiring Mikal Bridges offers the team an elite defensive wing, a piece that will be necessary to take down the Boston Celtics next season. Extending OG Anunoby reinforces their defense even further and adds substantial potential to the starting five. President Leon Rose has been careful with each and every move, leading us to this point, resulting in a team with championship aspirations.
Center Position Strategy
When it comes to reinforcing the center position, that strategy won’t change. Instead of being aggressive and reactive, Rose thought about every possibility, and things may end up unraveling perfectly for New York. At this rate, it doesn’t seem as though the Knicks will make a big center acquisition anytime soon, especially with the regular season still more than two months away.
Current Center Roster
However, the team still has Mitchell Robinson and recently extended Precious Achiuwa on a one-year, $6 million deal. Robinson has only played over 70 games once in his career and featured in just 31 last year, so there’s a real reason to be concerned about his health moving forward. He averaged 5.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, and shot .575 from the field last season. He made six playoff appearances before suffering another foot injury, locking down Joel Embiid.
Addressing Health Concerns
Most would agree Robinson can’t be trusted when it comes to his health, so Achiuwa should help offset any deficiencies there. The 6-foot-8, 225-pound PF/C made 74 appearances last year between Toronto and New York. He played 49 games with the Knicks, averaging 7.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks. Achiuwa isn’t a primary center, but he’s more than capable of filling in despite the drop-off between him and Isaiah Hartenstein. The likelihood of the Knicks making a move to add a starting caliber center to pair with Robinson is likely at some point.
Potential Trade Targets
A solid option may be to wait until the deadline next season and a cheaper price tag for the player they desire. Clint Capela could be a perfect option, considering he’s on an expiring contract, and the Knicks would get him at a large discount by waiting. The 30-year-old regularly averages double-digit rebounds, including 10.6 last season with 11.5 points per game. He’s a solid big man who would support a postseason push, especially if Robinson is forced to miss any time.
There may be other options available as well, especially from teams that are expected to struggle. The Atlanta Hawks may not have a big 2024–25 season, which makes Capela an easy target for New York. Even the Phoenix Suns could blow things up if their season doesn’t go as planned, with Jusuf Nurkic being a perfect Hartenstein replacement. He averaged 10.9 points and 11 rebounds last season, not to mention four assists with a .510 field-goal percentage.
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The Merits of Patience
The Knicks are doing the right thing by remaining patient and waiting for a good opportunity to come to them. There’s no reason to rush a move ahead of preseason basketball, so they can wait and find the perfect opportunity to strike instead of overpaying when teams have more leverage.